On Tuesday, September 14, President Lennart Meri and Mrs. Helle Meri visited the House of Hölfd in Reykjavik, where the Foreign Ministers of the newly independent Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Iceland signed the restoration of diplomatic relations on August 25, 1991.

The Estonian President was received by the Mayor of Reykjavik, Mrs. Ingibörg Sólrun Gisladottir, who in 1991 was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Althing, the Icelandic parliament. As the Mayor said, they are very glad to receive a great man who has influenced the history of Europe. As Mrs. Ingibörg Sólrun Gisladottir said, the most important events in the House of Hölfd of Reykjavik have been the meeting of Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachov in 1988, and the recognition of the restored independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 1991.

In the House of Hölfd, also a video film of the events of August 25, 1999 was shown.

President Lennart Meri and the Icelandic President Ólafur Ragnar Grimsson signed the Book of Honour of the House of Hölfd, which was the same as in 1991.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, September 15, 1999

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