European Leader Pays Philadelphia A Visit
By Tim Jimenez
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's a homecoming for the President of a European nation who's in Philadelphia to give a keynote address at his alma mater tonight.
The Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) is having its annual conference at the University of Pennsylvania through Saturday. The featured speaker is Toomas Hendrick Ilves, the President of Estonia.
"Not everybody knows Estonia. But I am just, my phone is blowing up, my email is blowing up."
That's Janis Chakars, a professor at Gwynedd Mercy University and the AABS VP of conferences. He says Ilves has a unique perspective.
"Can provide insight that nobody else can."
Ilves was raised in Leonia, New Jersey, just outside of New York City. He got his master's at Penn in 1978. He's now close to wrapping up his second term as President of Estonia. His speech at the conference, is about a key international security issue.
"The United States and NATO have been building up forces in the Baltic states and his country in light of events in Ukraine."
Chakars says hundreds of academics, representing 110 universities from around the world are in town for Ilves' speech and the conference.
For more information, visit: aabs-balticstudies.org
