NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer paid a farewell visit to Estonia last week. On Thursday President Toomas Hendrik Ilves presented him with the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana 1st Class (Maarjamaa rist) in recognition of his services to the alliance and its member states.
"You have done great and productive work as the NATO Secretary General and you have been a good friend and ally to Estonia in the post-accession years," Ilves said. "You have also fixed the principle that there are no large or small, old or new members in NATO, but rather all NATO members are equal."
Illustration: Andrus Peegel
