National Archives to start organizing President Arnold Rüütel's archive

The National Archives is sorting more than 60 boxes of materials from former President Arnold Rüütel's personal archive following his death in December 2024.
Rüütel passed away on December 31 and was president of Estonia from 2001–2006. He was 96.
"More than 60 boxes of paper documents of various sizes, along with a smaller amount of photographs, have previously been brought to the archives from President Rüütel's office," said Liisi Taimre, spokesperson for the National Archives. "Among the documents received are materials from Arnold Rüütel's scientific work in the 1980s, letters of gratitude, invitations, congratulatory messages, speech texts, documents related to visits following his presidency, and articles."
Taimre said materials from Rüütel's personal archive have been transferred to the National Archives in three stages since December 2022, and additional documents are expected following Rüütel's death on December 31.
"The exact composition and dates of the materials will be determined once the organization process is complete," she added.
Epp-Mare Kukemelk, spokesperson for the Office of the President, said materials from Rüütel's personal archive have not yet been handed over to the archive but need to be organized first.
"The Office of the President has been in contact with the National Archives. The National Archives will assign a person to handle the organization of President Arnold Rüütel's archive. The documents must be arranged, placed in proper folders, titled, and labeled, and an archive inventory will be prepared. The materials requiring organization cover the period from the 1980s to 2024," she said.
Taimre said staff from the National Archives will meet in the coming weeks with the secretary of President Rüütel's office and employees of the Office of the President to review Rüütel's post-presidency documents.
It is too early to comment on the precise content of these documents, but they are likely to include correspondence, invitations, congratulatory messages, and similar items, she said.
The representative of the National Archives confirmed that no restrictions have been placed on access to Rüütel's archive materials.
"If the organization process reveals information subject to access restrictions under the law, those restrictions will be applied. These are expected to relate to personal data protection and will be determined in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act," Taimre said.
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Editor: Mait Ots, Helen Wright