Picture: President Essebsi handing over a framed photo of his meeting with Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961.
The president of the Republic of Tunisia, H.E. Mr Béji Caïd Essebsi visited Uppsala on 6 November as part of an official state visit. Accompanied by King Carl Gustav XVI of Sweden, he laid down a wreath on Dag Hammarskjöld’s grave.
The visit continued with a lunch at Uppsala castle, hosted by Peter Egardt, County Governor of Uppsala. There is a special connection between Dag Hammarskjöld and Uppsala castle as he lived in the castle when he was young. His father, Hjalmar Hammarskjöld held the position of County Governor.
Henrik Hammargren, Executive Director of the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, gave a presentation of the Foundation and its activities. He touched upon Tunisia’s role when Hammarskjöld established the UN Peacekeeping Operation in Congo. Tunisia responded with remarkable speed in making troops available – in only a few days the troops were ready and deployed. Today, the same effectiveness is difficult to achieve. Hammargren also discussed Hammarskjöld’s relationship with the Tunisian government and how he had made himself available in the hope of resolving the French-Tunisian conflict – the Bizerte Crisis. Tunisia was amongst the last countries Dag Hammarskjöld visited in 1961 before his tragic death.
Photo: Swedish Royal Court