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.