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President Ilves arrives on state visit to Sweden
18.01.2011
The President, Mr. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, and Mrs. Evelin Ilves arrived in Stockholm this morning to begin a state visit to the Kingdom of Sweden at the invitation of His Majesty, King Carl XVI Gustaf.
The Victoria cruise liner, which brought the Estonian Head of State and the First Lady to Stockholm, was met at the Värtahamnen pier by Prince Carl Philip, Mr. Carl Bildt, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the representatives of the court.
“The Baltic Sea has mostly been a link not a gap between Estonia and Sweden, thereby becoming a bridge between our two countries and two nations,” President Ilves said. “This is how it was centuries ago, and it has become very evident now, as Estonia and Sweden are good partners in the Baltic Sea region and, in broader terms, the European Union. We are are joined by shared values, a shared history, and a shared sea.”
An official reception ceremony took place in the royal palace on the occasion of the arrival of President Ilves and Mrs. Evelin Ilves; the guests were welcome by the King of Sweden, His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf, and Her Majesty, Queen Silvia.
During the three-day state visit, the Estonian Head of State will meet the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Mr. Per Westerberg, the Prime Minister, Mr. Fredrik Reinfeldt, and other high ranking officials and leading businesspeople in Sweden.
President Ilves, who is accompanied by a business delegation of 37 members, will participate in the opening of the Estonian-Swedish business seminar. He will also deliver a presentation at a cyber security seminar, which is being organised in Stockholm at the initiative of Mr. Carl Bildt, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden. President Ilves will also visit the headquarters of Svenska Kraftnät, the Swedish national electricity company, the City Government of Stockholm, the European Union Nordic Battle Group in Enköping, and give a lecture at Uppsala University.
The Estonian Head of State will also visit the Gate of Freedom monument, which was built with the help of donations from Estonians living in Sweden as an expression of the gratitude the thousands of refugees felt towards Sweden and Swedish people, and the President will also visit the Estonian House and Estonian School in Stockholm.
President Ilves will be accompanied during the state visit by Mr. Rein Lang, the Minister of Justice; Mr. Juhan Parts, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communication; members of the Riigikogu, Marko Mihkelson and Mr. Toomas Varek; Mr. Jaan Männik, Chairman of the Supervisiory Board of Eesti Pank; Mr. Alar Karis, the Rector of Tartu University; and Mr. Toomas Luman, the Chairman of the Executive Board of the Estonian Chamber of Trade and Industry.
Mrs. Evelin Ilves will visit a number of institutions that deal with the health of Swedish children and young people, and she will also visit enterprises and research centres that focus on issues related to healthy eating in Sweden.
The President of the Republic and Mrs. Evelin Ilves will return to Tallinn on Thursday evening, 20th January.
Office of the President
Public Relations Department
Phone +372 631 6229
