TALLINN, Estonia (AP) - The Queen wrapped up her tour of the three Baltic nations on Friday by making a traditional walkabout amid cheering crowds and by visiting Estonian soldiers headed to Afghanistan. The British monarch, who arrived in the Baltics' smallest country on Thursday, started her day by paying tribute to 112 British sailors who died during Estonia's war of independence in'18-1920, in which the Royal Navy took part. Later the Queen listened to a choir concert in Town Hall Square in Tallinn's picturesque Old Town, where hundreds of spectators waving the British and Estonian flags welcomed her.
The farewell ceremonies were held at the Royal Navy ship HMS Liverpool, which was docked in Tallinn's harbour. The monarch met with Estonian soldiers, who will soon depart to Afghanistan to serve in a British contingent there. It was the Queen's first visit to the Baltics.
In a speech in Tallinn on Thursday, she said the Baltic states - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - shared an "indomitable spirit." "I have seen three very different countries, but have seen one feature that you all share. It is that indomitable spirit, which was able to keep alive the flame of independence, despite all attempts to extinguish it during the very worst of times.
" Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were invaded by the Soviet Union during the Second World War, and remained occupied until the Soviet collapse in'91. They all joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.
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