Speech by H.E. Mr Martti Ahtisaari, President of the
Republic of Finland, at a dinner hosted by H.E. Ong Teng
Cheong, President of Singapore
Singapore, January 27, 1995
Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me a great pleasure to be able to visit Singapore.
On behalf of myself and my party, I thank you most warmly
for your hospitality and friendly welcome.
I have the honour to be the first Finnish president to pay
a state visit to Singapore. I do not exaggerate when I tell
you what a great impression your country and the
surrounding region have made on us, nor when I praise the
beauty of your scenery. That your economy is flourishing is
obvious. Knowing how rapidly your country has developed
economically, we can only contemplate in genuine admiration
your achievement in making Singapore an important regional
centre.
The world that we share has changed radically. We have put
the Cold War behind us and are looking to the future
on a new foundation. We place our trust in a world of
cooperation, through which peace, security and life with
human dignity can be achieved everywhere.
Like Singapore, Finland is a small country. As a small
country, we have found it necessary throughout the period
of our independence to concentrate our energy on
international relations of vital importance for our
immediate region and our own position. Good cooperation,
both in our bilateral relations and globally, has enabled
us to compensate for our small size.
Finland has been a full member of the European Union since
the beginning of this year. Naturally, this new regional
arrangement is a challenge for us. But membership also
means resources which will help broaden our network of
relationships beyond its traditional scope.
Similarly, regional arrangements in Asia have provided both
the motivation and the opportunity for broader and more
diverse cooperation with Europe. Finland, in common with
other European countries, wishes to strengthen ties of
cooperation on a basis of balanced partnership and open,
wide-ranging dialogue. Indeed, interdependence of this kind
is important on a global scale, because it strengthens
security and promotes sustainable development.
Singapore has made an important contribution to expanding
cooperation between the EU and ASEAN. You have also
devised new forms of dialogue by proposing a summit
conference of European and Asian leaders and offering to
host the first conference of the World Trade Organization.
We are delighted to give your cooperation-oriented projects
our full support.
The vigorous growth in trade and economic ties between us
has created a basis for further expansion of our
cooperation. Singapore has long provided Finnish companies
with a foothold in Asia. With me, I have brought a
delegation representing many sectors of our industry, in
order to emphasize my country's desire for cooperation with
Singapore. Our economies complement each other, and we
could benefit from collaboration in third markets.
I hope that our cooperation can be further broadened and
diversified and that our political dialogue will become an
enduring pillar of support for relations between us.
Considerable progress towards that goal would be made, Mr
President, if you were to accept my invitation to visit
Finland when it is convenient for you to do so. Such a
visit would be a great honour for us.
Mr President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On this note I should like to propose a toast to the
continued health and well-being of His Excellency President
Ong Teng Cheong and to the Government and people of
Singapore.