RESPONSE TO BE GIVEN BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND AT A STATE BANQUET IN BUCKINGHAM PALACE,

17th October 1995

Your Majesty

My wife and I are most grateful for Your Majesty's kind words and for our magnificent and warm welcome to the United Kingdom. Finns highly appreciate the interest that Your Majesty and Your Royal Highness have shown in my country. We are looking forward to seeing for ourselves more of the famous sights and institutions of London over the next few days, and I am also delighted to have this opportunity for political exchanges with the Prime Minister and other members of Your Majesty's Government.

A quarter of a century has passed since Your Majesty welcomed President Urho Kekkonen and Mrs Kekkonen here on a State Visit. The challenges which the international community faces today are very different indeed from those of 1969. The greatest change for Finland has been our accession to the European Union which also added a new dimension to our close ties with the United Kingdom.

I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to Your Majesty's Government in helping to pave our way into the Union. We value the practical advice and expertise on matters of European integration which the British are willing to share with us.

Finland is no more Euro-sceptic than Euro-enthusiast. We base our consideration on what we see as our enlightened self-interest. Our national identity is strong and is not threatened by our membership of the European Union. We see the European Union as the most important means of creating greater prosperity and stability among its members and of extending these to its partners.

The United Kingdom is in an important and influential position, both in Europe and further afield. We Finns hold in high esteem the pragmatic approach the British take to regional and global challenges. We can only admire the commitment which Britain has shown to the humanitarian and peace-keeping effort in Bosnia.

Finland and the United Kingdom continue to enjoy a close and relaxed relationship. We are partners in democracy, culture, trade and business. Were knowledge of language the only criterion, Finland might qualify as an affiliated member of the Commonwealth, provided, of course that it could obtain the gracious permission of its Head! Many young people from Finland come here to study and carry out research at British universities. London continues to be one of the world's foremost cultural centres and as such it steadily attracts Finnish artists, who also know that the attention they receive here will instantly be radiated throughout all the countries open to the English language. On the other hand, we are gratified to note that our country has been discovered by a steadily increasing number of British tourists seeking the unspoiled nature, peace and solitude which Finland has to offer.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to propose a toast to the health and happiness of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, to the success and prosperity of the British nation and to the further deepening of the friendship between our two nations.