21.05.2015
The Mayor of Tartu, Urmas Klaas, placed a wreath on behalf of the President of the Republic at a memorial in Geesthacht forest cemetery that is shared by war refugees from the three Baltic states.

After World War II, hundreds of families that left Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to escape the new occupation found home in the Geesthacht UNRRA displaced persons camp, near Hamburg.

"This is where we think, with sadness and pain, of the thousands of our compatriots who had to flee Estonia and, with gratitude, towards the countries and nations that received them," said Urmas Klaas, who is part of the official delegation accompanying the President on his state visit to the Federal Republic of Germany.

He placed flowers on the graves of Estonians who died in the camp.

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves thanked the region, at a reception organised in Hamburg last night attended by sitting Mayor, Olaf Scholz, for offering their support to war refugees from Estonia, by saying: "Estonia thanks the people of Hamburg for their Samaritan attitude towards the refugees in times when they were facing grave difficulties themselves, when Hamburg was only starting to emerge from the ruins, both physically and mentally."

Office of the President
Public Relations Department
- See more at: http://www.president.ee/en/med...

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