President Toomas Hendrik Ilves sent his congratulations to the newly elected German President Joachim Gauck, saying right now Europe needs him as a spokesman.
“I am extremely pleased that you were elected President of the Federal Republic of Germany. I wish you the best of luck,” Ilves wrote in a letter on March 20. “Germany has got a good president, and Estonia a good friend.”
Ilves made a point that his pleasure was not simply pro forma. “I have written about the gap that still exists between the so-called Western and Eastern Europe, and since 2004, inside the European Union, covering almost all the time that Estonia has been newly independent. Formally, everything seems to be all right, but a patronising attitude and biased approach are tough to banish. We can still feel the cracking of Europe into the new and old part,” he wrote.
“Therefore, I have always seen Germany as the key country in helping to overcome these barriers, as the very same issues have been tackled – successfully – within this state. Your long-term and versatile experiences will grant a special level of credibility to your upcoming functions as the Head of State of Germany. Europe needs your moral leadership.”
Referring to a 1999 visit to Estonia by then commissioner on the crimes of the German Democratic Republic's secret police, Stasi, Ilves wrote: “Here in Estonia we still remember your visit to Tallinn [...] and highly appreciate your contribution to identifying the dark shadows of the past. I have established an institute in Estonia myself to explain the real nature of communist occupation or “Wie es eigentlich gewesen ist.” It is difficult to build a future without understanding history,” wrote Ilves, saying he hopes to host Joachim Gauck in Tallinn soon.