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The President of the Republic welcomed the President of Italy
20.04.2004


The President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, and Mrs Franca Pilla Ciampi arrived today for a state visit in Estonia and were at Kadriorg welcomed by the President of the Republic of Estonia and Mrs Ingrid Rüütel.

At the official welcoming ceremony, the Italian and Estonian national anthems were played and a guard of honour was lined up. Thereafter, Estonian and Italian high-ranking state officials and members of the countries' official delegations greeted the Presidents. From the welcoming ceremony, the Presidents headed to a meeting, in the course of which also gifts and orders were exchanged. The Italian Head of State presented the President of the Republic with Collar of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, and the Estonian Head of State the Italian President with Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana.

Then followed a meeting between the official delegations of the two countries lead by the Presidents, which addressed the Estonian-Italian cooperation both on bilateral level and within the framework of the European Union. Both Presidents emphasised importance of cultural contacts because that is what brings people in their daily life closer together, and voiced hope that relations between Estonia and Italy continued deepening also in other areas. The President of the Italian Republic assured that he would welcome an increase in Italian direct investment into Estonia and an expansion of economic cooperation between our countries.

President Ciampi pointed out that it was important to adopt the EU Constitutional Treaty as soon as possible, and noted that this would signal citizens of the Union's intention to set its course toward unity and commitment to unity.

The President of the Republic expressed delight at the Italian President's promise to support setting up the EU border agency in Estonia and thanked Italy for having supported Estonia's accession to NATO and the European Union.

Subsequent to the meeting at Kadriorg, the Presidents left for the Knighthood House where they opened the exhibition "The Golden Centuries of Italian Majolica".

This evening, the President of the Republic of Estonia and Mrs Ingrid Rüütel will host a state dinner in honour of the President of the Italian Republic and Mrs Franca Pilla Ciampi.


Public Relations Unit of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, April 20, 2004


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