"I congratulate you on the 102nd birthday of our state. It is clear that our country is dear to us. Dear in every sense. I thank you for having kept Estonia in your hearts, always and everywhere. I thank you who have helped make Estonia bigger, better-known and better all over the world. I thank you for having been representatives and envoys of Estonia everywhere where you live," the Isamaa minister said.

The population minister has ruled to bestow the gold honorary decoration of the Ministry of the Interior on members of the Committee for Global Estonian Cooperation. 

The recognition for the preservation of the Estonian state, language and culture goes to Marju Rink-Abel, president of the Estonian World Council and the Estonian American National Council, as well as Aho Rebas, longtime activist of the Estonian community in Sweden and champion of its cultural activities.

The silver honorary decoration of the Ministry of the Interior goes to Marcus Adrian Kolga, representative of the Estonian Central Council in Canada, publicist and political scientist, as well as Sirje Kiin, representative of the Estonian American National Council, literary scholar, writer, journalist and translator.

Letters of appreciation of the Ministry of the Interior go to the following activists of Estonian communities abroad and preservers of the Estonian cultural heritage: Iivi Zajedova – board member of the Estonian Club of Czechia and the Association of Estonian Cultural Societies, vice president of the Estonian World Council; Leili Utno – board member of the Society of Estonians Abroad; Piret Noorhani, chief archivist of the Museum of Estonians Abroad and president of the nonprofit Baltic Heritage Network; Reet Marten Sehr – active member of the Toronto Estonian Society, Estonian Central Council in Canada; Leelo Pukk – representative of the Association of Estonians in Sweden, chief organizer of the ESTO National Congress; Aavo Reinfeldt – member of the Estonian community of the United States, formerly active in the Estonian World Council; Eha Salla – champion of the Estonian society and Estonian school of Frankfurt, organizer of days of Estonian culture in Germany; and Sirle Soot – chair of the Association of Estonians in Sweden, chair of the ESTO 2019 Committee.

The decorations and letters of appreciation will be handed to the recipients during a ceremony at the compatriots' conference to be held at the Estonian National Museum in Tartu on April 28.

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