Baltic Defence College honoured the former Minister of Defence of Denmark- Hans Hækkerup

One lecture room of the Baltic Defence College in Tartu was officially named in honour of Mr Hans Hækkerup at a formal ceremony on June 18th.

The Estonian Minister of Defence Mr Sven Mikser, the Latvian Minister of defence Mr Raimonds Vejonis, the Lithuanian Minister of defence Mr Juozas Olekas, the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Linas Linkevicius, Ambassador of Denmark in Tallinn Mr. Søren Kelstrup, H. Hækkerup’s son Tue Hækkerup and the Baltic Defence College Commandant Major General Vitalijus Vaikšnoras attended the event along with honoured guests.

Honored quests reflected on memories about H. Hækkerup in their speeches. They highly prized H. Hækkerup’s personal contribution to the Baltic states membership in NATO and his active involvement in the development of the defence and security systems for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Mr Tue Hækkerup thanked the Baltic Defence College for the honour of being in the ceremony and on behalf of his family thanked the Baltic Defence College for naming the room in honour of his late father. At the ceremony Tue Hækkerup expressed his belief that his father’s ideas about the Baltic States would live on in the room and the Baltic Defence College.

Hans Hækkerup as the Danish Minister of Defence played an important role in the Baltic states drive to join Nato in the late 1990s and also a key role in the establishment of the Baltic Defence College.