Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Forum, Markets and Companies, Transport

Photo: president.ee

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel started the visit in Tallinn by placing flowers in a public ceremony at the memorial "Broken Line", dedicated to the Estonia ferry disaster.

Then the royal couple visited the office of the Estonian President, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who gave them as a gift a graphic piece by Estonian artist Endel Kõks called "Merel" (On the Sea) (1953), which depicts boat refugees and conveys the anguish and hope of people.

Several thousand Estonians, including the mother and father of President Ilves, escaped over the stormy Baltic Sea from the war and new occupation in the late summer and autumn of 1944, the president's chancellery said. The Kingdom of Sweden and the Swedes reached out their hands to the refugees and opened the gates of freedom to them. Sweden became their first home in the free world and they continued their lives as free people.

In 1944, Endel Kõks (1912–1983), a graduate of the Pallas art school and one of the most outstanding Estonian artists of his generation, also escaped from Estonia. He spent most of his life as a refugee in Sweden and died in Örebro.

The royal couple then participated in the presentation ceremony of the Swedish Business Award 2014 at the KUMU Art Museum along with Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas, where the Crown Princess handed over the "Best Sustainably Growing Company" award to logistics and transport company Greencarrier Freight Services Estonia OÜ manager Priit Mäggi.

The royal couple also participated in the Sustainable Development Forum 2014 dedicated to the Gulf of Finland Year and Baltic Sea Year, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel Olümpia and finished the day with a dinner at the Swedish Ambassador's residence.

On the second day of the visit, on Wednesday, the royal couple will visit Ericsson Estonia. Following this, they will travel to Tartu, where the royal couple will participate in a presentation ceremony of the Nordic Museum's ethnography collection and ethno-design seminar at the Estonian National Museum. In Tartu, they will also meet with members of the Estonian Students' Society. The royal couple will end their visit at the University of Tartu, where they will take part in a seminar emphasizing the long-term relations between Estonia and Sweden.