SPEECH BY MR MARTTI AHTISAARI,

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND

AT A BANQUET IN HONOUR OF MR LEONID KUTCHMA, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE;

Helsinki, February 8, 1996

It is an honour and a pleasure for me to bid you welcome. Your official visit to Finland, the first by a head of state of an independent Ukraine, crowns the development of good and problem-free relations between our countries. It likewise strengthens the future of ties between us through cooperation on both the bilateral and the international level.

Although this is your first time in Finland, Mr. President, we have had the opportunity to meet in international contexts on several occasions. Exchanges of visits and other contacts between our countries have been constantly growing in other respects as well. Deputy Prime Minister Osyka visited Finland in June last year and we had the pleasure of extending our hospitality to Foreign Minister Udovenko in August. Our Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto visited Kiev in November 1994. You met my predecessor President Mauno Koivisto in Kiev last September.

In fact, when President Koivisto went to Kiev in May 1992 he was also the first Western head of state to pay an official visit to Ukraine after it had become independent. In the region of the former Soviet Union, Ukraine is the only country other than our neighbours Russia and the Baltic states where Finland maintains an embassy with a resident ambassador. That is an indication of the esteem that we attach to our relations with Ukraine.

Finland and Ukraine have a lot in common, providing a foundation on which we can build and further develop our good relations. We opened our first diplomatic mission in Kiev as far back as 1918. The then Finnish envoy Herman Gummerus' stay was to be regrettably brief, but prospects for the development of an independent Ukraine are quite different today. During your term in office, Mr. President, the development of economic and political reform has gathered momentum and Ukraine has consolidated its position among the states of Europe.

Ukraine became a member of the Council of Europe last year. This is a clear recognition of Ukrainian commitment to observing the democratic values respected by Council of Union members. A temporary partnership agreement between Ukraine and the European Union has just entered into force and the actual partnership and cooperation agreement is now in the process of ratification in the Union's member countries. In addition to that, Ukraine has strengthened its status as an international actor first by participating in UN peacekeeping operations in former Yugoslavia and is now contributing to the maintenance of peace as part of the international forces in this region so important from the perspective of stability in Europe.

Ukraine's decision to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the dismantling and removal from Ukrainian territory of nuclear weapons by the end of the current year, and possibly even earlier, represent an important step from the viewpoint of international peace and security. The security architecture of our continent is assuming a new, more peaceful shape. Broad cooperation between Ukraine and NATO has been agreed within the Partnership for Peace programme, in which also Finland is participating. In addition to that, Ukraine and Finland are constantly working for stability in Europe within the framework of the Organisation for Cooperation and Security in Europe. When the CSCO was being established twenty years ago, Finland had an opportunity to make its own contribution to the peaceful development of Europe, and the organisation continues to hold an important role as a comprehensive body facilitating cooperation in our continent.

Relations between Finland and Ukraine acquired a new dimension at the beginning of1995, when Finland became a member of the European Union. EU trade policy also guides economic relations between our countries. The framework provided by the EU will be only of benefit to both of us in our efforts to increase our mutual trade. Finland also supports Ukraine's efforts to join the World Trade Organisation. We are likewise optimistically following Ukraine's economic development, which is giving Finnish companies growing opportunities and interest in the Ukraine market. Finland also appreciates Ukraine's decision to close the Chernobyl nuclear power station by the end of the century. The joint declaration signed by the EU and G7 countries and Ukraine in December significantly facilitated this decision. Your contribution, Mr. President, to ensuring progress on the difficult issue of closing the nuclear power station is appreciated in the European Union.

Ukraine holds a key position in the economic and democratic development of eastern Europe. A stable Ukraine is one of the cornerstones of balance in Europe. As a member of the European Union, Finland will make her own contribution to the process of economic and democratic reform in Ukraine. You, Mr. President, have convinced the European Union and me personally of your will for reform and of your prospects of implementing those changes so important for the future of Ukraine by virtue of the trust that the people place in you and your clear-cut policies.

Mr President

Today, when we look at our common European future, we see the great turbulence in our continent gradually giving way to clarity. It accords with our shared interests that the new structures and security arrangements now taking shape in Europe do not exclude anyone. The best guarantee of Finland's and Ukraine's security will be a united Europe, in which there are neither old nor new dividing lines.

Mr. President, I must express my great joy that we have finally been able to receive you as our guest. I know how busy your schedule is: your visits last year took you not only to European countries and the United States, but also to South America and China. Here in Finland we have already managed during this first day of your visit to discuss, in a good and constructive spirit, several bilateral and international issues. Tomorrow, we shall have an opportunity to continue these interesting discussions in a somewhat more informal atmosphere when we fly to Lapland to see the northernmost corner of our country.

I propose a toast to Ukraine and its people, to the good relations between Finland and Ukraine as well as to the personal happiness and success of you, Mr. President, and Mrs. Kuchma.