In appreciation for his services to Estonia and for developing cooperation between our countries, Ambassador Søren Kelstrup received an Estonian state decoration - the I class Knight of the Grand Cross of Terra Mariana.

According to President Lennart Meri's commission in late autumn 1994, the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana was born, inspired by Estonia’s national colors and the initial heraldic shape of our coat of arms. It is the highest Estonian state decoration that could be bestowed upon foreigners. The Cross Terra Mariana can only be bestowed by the President of the Republic of Estonia.

The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana is divided into five usual classes as is legally customary in Estonia, and these classes are numbered from fifth to first. In the international classification, the order classes are as follows: V class – Knight; IV class – Officer; III class – Commander; II class – Grand Officer; I class – Knight of the Grand Cross. Similar decoration has been given to 13 Danes including the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Uffe Ellemann-Jensen in 1997, the Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen in 2009, the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Per Stig Møller in 2010, the previous Danish Ambassador Uffe Andersson Balslev in 2012.

More information on this from the Danish Embassy's website.