Today, President of the Republic sent a letter of condolences to his Armenian colleague Robert Kotsharyan in connection with the brutal murder of the Armenian Prime Minister Vazgen Sarkisyan and several members of the Armenian leadership.

In his letter, President Meri conveyed the condolences of the Estonian nation to the families of the murder victims and to the Armenian people.

''The democratic community of nations cannot accept attempts to overthrow an elected government by force or to murder its officials. Any change of government must stem from the ballot, not from the bullet, and therefore, despite these murders, I am happy that the Armenian democracy has withstood this severe test. I sincerely hope that this will not have an adverse influence on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

I wish you and your people strength in recovering from what is a severe shock for us all. Yet you can go about this task proud in the knowledge that your democratic system is strong,'' the President wrote.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, October 28, 1999

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