SPEECH BY PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC MARTTI
AHTISAARI AT A BANQUET IN HONOUR OF
PRESIDENT VALDAS ADAMKUS OF LITHUANIA AND MRS. ALMA ADAMKIENE
AT THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
IN HELSINKI ON 9.11.1998
My wife and I take great delight in bidding you a hearty
welcome.
I know, Mr. President, that you have been in Finland earlier. I
have also been told that as a young man you had close contacts
with Finns. Some time ago we had the opportunity for a brief
unofficial meeting. I hope your present visit will add pleasantly
to your experience of our country.
My own visits to Lithuania have left me with enjoyable memories.
I have always felt that we understand each other.
Lithuania is now a free, European state. You can look back on a
tough history, but you have not allowed it to imprison you. For
Finland Lithuania has become a close neighbour in Baltic Sea
cooperation and a partner and future member of the European
Union.
On the level of visits by heads of state, our countries already
share a tradition. Both of our predecessors met in the context of
working visits. I personally have had the pleasure of visiting
Lithuania both officially just under three years ago and also
unofficially in other contexts. On the ministerial level, there
have been several visits per year in both directions. Contacts
between officials are already an everyday feature. Trade,
cultural and other relations between our countries have likewise
been developing positively.
However, there is also a need for critical observations. I know
that you have drawn attention to the imbalance in trade between
our countries and to the fact that there is still room for
improvement in our knowledge of each other. I can concur with
your view. A lot remains to be done in those respects. Although
the state authorities have a relatively limited role, they can
speed matters up and ensure that the preconditions for
development are met.
With that in mind, we have wanted to use the opportunity of this
visit to give the Lithuanian business sector a chance to present
its capabilities and seek avenues for cooperation. Our combined
efforts will make it possible to bring about a change in the
right direction.
I am happy to note also that Finnish enterprise has a growing
interest in Lithuania as a cooperation partner and investment
location. Recent proofs of this include a decision by our Sonera
and Swedens Telia to buy Lietuvos Telekomas as well as the
investments that Hartwall, Kemira and Metsä-Serla have made in
your country and that is to mention only a few of many
examples. I know also that several Finnish companies in the
banking and health-care sectors are on the look out for
cooperation partners in Lithuania.
On the cultural side, we must cherish the traditions of relations
between us that began as long ago as the latter half of the 19th
century. After a long separation, there is a self-evident need to
develop cultural exchanges.
Therefore it gives me great satisfaction that a cultural
agreement between us is being signed during your visit. I believe
that it and the action programme which, hopefully, is soon to be
drafted will provide a strong foundation for our cultural
relations and stimulate their further development.
Mr. President, we have been following with admiration your
countrys efforts to meet the requirements for faster
progress in negotiations to join the EU. These efforts have
already yielded good results. In its recent report on progress,
the Commission notes that positive development has taken place in
Lithuania. Finland has supported your efforts in this respect and
will continue to do so both in the context of bilateral
cooperation and as an EU member. We are in favour of a brisk
timetable for launching pre-accession negotiations.
For Finland and Lithuania, the Baltic Sea is a natural region for
common international endeavours. As a member, Finland also wants
to strengthen the role of the EU in developing the sea and its
surrounding region. One demonstration of this is our initiative
concerning the European Unions Northern Dimension.
The initiative gives also Lithuanians the opportunity to take
part in international cooperation with a view to enhancing
stability, and to develop their own country. We are pleased to be
able to outline the initiative to you during your visit.
We in Finland appreciate Lithuanias active contribution to
regional cooperation in the Baltic Sea and your work to promote
good-neighbourly relations. Your countrys position and the
line that you have adopted offer excellent potential for you to
act as a bridge-builder in the region. I could see that for
myself just over a year ago when I had the honour to visit
Vilnius for a meeting of heads of state from the Baltic Sea
countries. I would like to encourage you to continue your efforts
in this sector, because I believe that this line serves our
shared goal promoting stability and development in the
Baltic Sea region and the whole of Europe.
To these goals and the developing cooperation between Lithuania
and Finland, to the success of the Lithuanian people and to the
good health of yourself and your wife, I now propose a toast.
I sveikata! - To your health!