Ilves presents Bush with highest Estonian decoration

Former President Toomas Hendrik Ilves on Thursday presented former U.S. President George W. Bush with the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class, bestowed upon him in 2012.
Ilves, who participated in a bipartisan roundtable entitled "Freedom, Free Markets and Security" hosted by the former U.S. president in Dallas, Texas this week, decided to bestow the decoration on Bush in 2012 for his decisive role in the 2004 NATO enlargement, in the course of which Estonia joined the alliance on March 29.
In a series of social media posts, Ilves also noted that the award was for Bush's immediate and powerful support for Estonia in spring 2007, when Estonia first underwent a wide-scale and political cyber attack.
The 2012 statement released by the Office of the President regarding the decision likewise noted that Bush stood firmly behind Estonia's foreign and security policy interests as a friend and supporter.
Editor: Aili Vahtla