President's state visit to Ukraine ended

The President of the Republic and Mrs Ingrid Rüütel this morning concluded their state visit to Ukraine. In the course of four days they had meetings with the President of Ukraine, the Chairman of Parliament and the Prime Minister, representatives of business circles, and Estonians living in Ukraine. The Estonian Head of State accompanied by a 21-member official delegation, a 15-member business delegation, and 9-member press delegation beyond Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, also visited Odessa and the Crimean Autonomous Republic, where he met both the political leadership and leading businessmen. In the Crimea, also meetings with local Estonians took place, President Rüütel being the first Estonian Head of State ever to visit in the Northern Crimea the villages where descendants of those who emigrated from Estonia 140 years ago are living. On the last day of the visit, the Head of State on the Crimea's southern coast familiarized himself with the history and enterprise of the region and met with the Head of Government and the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Crimean Autonomous Republic.