President Lennart Meri and Mrs. Helle Meri began the state visit to India on Wednesday, February 3, in the capital of India. The President and the accompanying delegation, including Uno Veering, the Secretary of State, Raivo Vare, the Minister of Transport and Communications, and Toomas Kivimägi, the Pärnu County Governor, looked at the historic capital of India, visited the National Museum, the former capital Qutub Minar, and memorials and temples belonging to the periods of different dynasties.

On Wednesday evening, a reception in honour of the Estonian guests was held in the Finnish embassy to India, and the Finnish diplomats shared with the Estonian officials and businessmen their experience of establishing and developing economic relations with such a great power as India.

Kasturi Lal Vig, the Honorary Consul General of Estonia in India, offered lunch to the Estonian delegation on Thursday. Today, President of the Republic and Mrs. Helle Meri moved into Rashtrabati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of the Republic of India, where the official welcoming ceremony is to take place tomorrow, followed by the meeting with President Kicheril Raman Narayanan and Atal Behari Vajpaye, Prime Minister of India. Tomorrow, also the Estonian-Indian business seminar will begin.

The blue-black-and-white flags of Estonia are flying in Delhi, the capital of India, on the streets there are big slogans with greetings in Hindi and in English in the honour of the Estonian President and friends of Estonia, and the squares are decorated with huge portraits of Lennart Meri and Helle Meri – a way of expressing respect in India.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, February 4, 1999

back | archive of press releases | main page