President Lennart Meri and Mrs. Helle Meri yesterday continued their visit to the U.S.A. in Maryland on the invitation of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the Vice-Governor of the State of Maryland. President Meri and Lieutenant General Johannes Kert, Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces who is accompanying the President, flew to Baltimore by helicopter, where they visited Fort McHenry and made a boat tour on the Chesapeake Bay. From Baltimore, the helicopter took them to Annapolis.

President Meri visited the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and discussed the co-operation between Estonia and Maryland both in the field of military training and general education with Vice Admiral John R. Ryan, the Rector of the Academy. As President Meri said, Estonia is interested both in the possibility for young Estonians to acquire academic education in the military training institutions of the United States and in the possibilities of teaching the English language in Estonia from English-based materials. Colonel Schnell from the Maryland National Guard, who also participated in the meeting, promised to consider the possibilities to advance the teaching of the English language to Estonians.

In the Naval Academy, President Meri also met the Estonian cadets Elvira Baranova and Tõnu Mets, and also Christian-Marc Lifländer studying in the West Point Academy; the students spoke of their studies and future prospects in the Estonian Defence Forces.

In the evening, the Vice-Governor of the State of Maryland Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and James F. Fretterd, the Commander of the Maryland National Guard, hosted a dinner in honour of President Meri, where the delegation of education experts who is going to visit Estonia in three weeks also participated.

As the Vice Governor Kennedy Townsend said, the State of Maryland is deeply interested in bilateral relations between the two seaside nations, and the co-operation between the Maryland National Guard and the Estonian Defence League has proved a good start for the relations. General Davies, Commander of the United States National Guard, was also present on the dinner and welcomed the co-operation between the defence structures and believed in its success.

As President Meri said, there are more similarities between Estonia and Maryland than there are differences; he also recalled the saying that no country situated by the sea is a small country. The fact that Estonia was dedicated to Virgin Mary on the 12th century and is still called St. Mary’s Land, is another tie between them, the President said in his address.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, April 27, 1999

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