Gallery: Siim Kallas sent off with state honors

Former Prime Minister Siim Kallas will be laid to rest with state honors on Saturday.
The hearse began its journey in Viimsi, from where traveled through Tallinn and via Toompea to the Estonia Concert Hall.
The first memorial stop was at the Viimsi municipal government building where representatives of the Viimsi municipal government and council had gathered. Siim Kallas lived in Viimsi and served as mayor of Viimsi Municipality from 2017 to 2019.

In Tallinn, the hearse stopped outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bank of Estonia, Ministry of Finance, Riigikogu and Stenbock House.
The hearse then arrived at the Estonia Concert Hall. The coffin was received with military honors by the Guard Battalion's honor guard and the military band of the Estonian Defense Forces.
Inside the Estonia Concert Hall, representatives of Viimsi Municipality, the Reform Party, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Bank of Estonia and Riigikogu stood guard of honor beside the coffin.

President Alar Karis said in a speech at Siim Kallas' memorial ceremony that Kallas was never afraid of bold ideas for advancing life in Estonia and knew that ideas also had to be put into practice, because otherwise there was a risk of remaining invisible in a small and distant corner of the world.
"That is precisely how he helped Estonia grow into a modern country that values freedom and did everything in his power to bring us back into Europe," Karis said.
Following Karis' remarks, the current and former prime ministers placed a parliamentary gavel on the coffin.
Prime Minister and Reform Party Chair Kristen Michal said in his eulogy that the measure of a statesman lies not only in making decisions at the right time, but also in those decisions proving to be right decades later. "Siim Kallas had that fortunate touch, coupled with a sharp mind, courage and perseverance!"

Siim Kallas died on August 22 at the age of 77. He served as Estonia's prime minister, foreign minister and finance minister, governor of the Bank of Estonia, vice president of the European Commission and a member of the Riigikogu on several occasions. Kallas was one of the authors of the Self-Managing Estonia (IME) proposal, one of the leaders of the 1992 monetary reform and one of the founders of the Reform Party.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Marcus Turovski



































































































































































