Lennart Meri 90

On 29 March we celebrate the 90th anniversary of Lennart Meri’s birth, and remember him as the first minister for foreign affairs and the first president to take office following the restoration of the independent Republic of Estonia. His brilliant personality, his broad outlook, his knowledge of diplomacy and foreign policy and his ability to see far beyond his backyard created a solid foundation for modern Estonian foreign service, and set Estonian foreign policy on a course it follows to this day.

Lennart Meri was born on 29 March 1929. Already as a child, while living abroad with his father, the Estonian diplomat Georg Meri, he experienced the joys and pains of the life of a diplomat. He spent his school years in Paris, Berlin, Tallinn, and Tartu.

In 1941, the Meri family, like many other Estonian families, were hit by the repressions of the occupying Soviet forces – their whole family was arrested and sent to exile in Russia. They only returned to their homeland in 1946.

Meri began his studies at the University of Tartu while also working as the dramatist of the Vanemuine Theatre. This was followed by a job as an editor at the Estonian Radio in 1956 and as a director at the Tallinnfilm studios. In addition to translating several notable works, his legacy also includes research on the Finno-Ugric peoples of Siberia, and recording their life on film as well as in books.

Lennart Meri also played an essential role during the Singing Revolution of 1988, when he was the Secretary of the Board of the Estonian Writers’ Union.

In 1990, Lennart Meri was appointed Foreign Minister. The position required him to create the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attract a staff of young people who would be quick learners, shape a reliable channel of communication with foreign states, and represent Estonia at the main international conferences. The Estonian Institute was founded as a non-governmental organisation on his initiative. Meri participated in creating a network of Estonian information offices in several capitals of the world and these later became the initial network of Estonian embassies and consulates. As a result of these activities, the first Estonian diplomats assumed their duties. His famous speeches and his remarkable, witty manner that attracted a lot of attention for Estonia dates back to his tenure as Foreign Minister and continued through the years he was in office as President of Estonia.

After a short spell as the Estonian Ambassador to Finland, he was elected President of Estonia on 6 October 1992, the first head of state to be elected following the restoration of independence. On 20 September 1996 Lennart Meri was re-elected for a second term as President of Estonia.