On Wednesday, August 18, President Lennart Meri opened the seminar ''Heritage of the Past'' in the Writers' House in Tallinn. On the seminar Joachim Gauck, Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service (Stasi) of the Former German Democratic Republic from the Federal Republic of Germany, gave the presentation ''Facing the Truth insterad of Supressing it: Germany's Approach to a Tainted Past''.

President Lennart Meri, the patron of the seminar, accentuated in his opening speech the need to research and interpret the recent past. He pointed out that although the Democratic Republic of Germany and the occupied Estonia were under the power of similar totalitarian regimes, the attitude in East Germany and Estonia towards these powers was different. Estonia was under foreign occupation, and therefore it was easier to form the fronts, whereas in East Germany something that could be called the DDR patriotism was noticeable. The Estonian identity was not connected to the Soviet Union, but for the East Germans, the DDR became their native country.

On the dais discussion taking place on Thursday, Joachim Gauck, the historians Indrek Jürjo and Andrei Hvostov, as well as Rein Ruutsoo, the Professor of general politology in Tartu University, Mart Laar, Tõnis Lukas, and Heiki Ahonen from the Kitsler-Ritso Foundation will participate. The President of the Republic will visit the dais discussion.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, August 19, 1999

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