(Translation)

SPEECH BY PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC MARTTI AHTISAARI
AT THE KARELIAN SUMMER FESTIVAL
IN VAASA ON 19.6.1999

We have gathered here in Vaasa today to celebrate the last Karelian summer festival of this millennium. Later this year it will be six decades since the first time that the Karelians were forced, in autumn 1939, to leave the districts that had been their home for thousands of years.

Like many others, I have often wondered what might be the source of the enormous sense of affinity that gets the entire Karelian tribe on the move to gather in large numbers year after year. There can probably be only one answer: the loss of homeland and home as part of the arrangements in the wake of the second world war has been such an onerous shared experience for the Karelians that it keeps this tribe united from generation to generation.

I have said in many contexts, and also in Russia, that being forced to become evacuees was a traumatic experience for the Karelians. Many Finns regard the loss of Karelia as a major injustice. Consciousness of a historical wrong does not disappear by itself, but lives on in one way or another irrespective of whether it is talked about in public or not.

I know that in recent times especially the Karelians have had much room in their hearts for those thousands of Kosovars who have had to leave their home districts and seek sanctuary from the war as homeless refugees. That the Yugoslavian crisis, which has lasted several years, can go so far shows once again what ethnic disputes generated by efforts to redress historical wrongs can, at their worst, lead to.

Now we can rejoice at the return of peace in the Balkans. Ahead lie years of work to create democracy and stable conditions in that ravished region.

Although we lost our home districts, our native country was preserved. The road that the evacuees had to follow was a hard one, but our assessment today can be that the resettlement of the Karelian population was an outstanding success. For the Karelians, the period of reconstruction was important in many ways. At the same time as they became a central resource for reconstruction, work for the future of their homeland helped salve the wounds that the war and the loss of their home districts had left and made it easier for them to adjust to their new home areas. Even though adjustment often brought many kinds of problems, the Karelians - hospitable, active and social people that they are - overcame prejudices and quickly assumed responsible tasks in the life of society. Karelian culture also brought an extra dash of colour to many areas, and we can see that in many places here in Ostrobothnia, too.

Karelian culture is today a resource that strengthens Finnish identity in its entirety. It contributes to enriching the European mosaic of languages and cultures, which is made up of strong regional and local cultural spheres. Karelian culture must be seen as a question of identity, as an ability to feel a sense of affinity through the same tradition and the same cultural heritage. For us Karelians, it has always been important to know and be proud of our own identity.

Karelian sentiments are Finnish and European ones. It is rewarding to listen to them, just as it is worth while taking note of the feelings of all other European cultures. Together they form that enormous tide of cultures which Karelianism can proudly join. As a nation we have much to give to European cooperation - as Ostrobothnians, Karelians, Savonians and representatives of other Finnish tribes and regional identities. We can and indeed should be proud of our own tribal roots. They are the foundation on which, from childhood on, we have been able to build our own world view, the importance of which as a philosophical and ethical anchor in an increasingly supranational world is constantly growing.

Nowadays we often emphasise the importance of an international outlook and a need for the characteristics that go with it. Here it is good to remember that Karelia’s location as a borderland, in a setting of interaction with many cultures, has given the Karelians an attitude to life that accepts, tolerates and is receptive to other cultures. It is an attitude that has equipped us to survive difficult times, and which will help us also in the future. It has been a source of strength for me as well.

A small nation is recognised by its language and culture. A strong identity is a good starting point. A sense of local identity and an international outlook are not mutually exclusive, but rather form the solid foundation of the future on which our children can build their Karelian heritage. We stick together. That work bears fruit. It brings a reward. It is a great joy to see here, once again, the large number of Karelians of the younger generation among us - representing those of us who were born after the war, and whose responsibility it is to ensure that the cultural work done by older Karelians will not be wasted, but further refined from generation to generation. It will also be the best thanks to you esteemed veterans of our wars and post-war reconstructors of Finland. Thanks to you we younger people have been able to grow up in a free and independent country. Indeed, the generations who were born and grew up after the war must give hope and faith that work in the interest of Karelian culture will continue and that the fruits of the work will be preserved from generation to generation.

Karelian culture has become a central part of the essence of Finnishness. Therefore it and Karelia itself must be seen a matter that concerns the whole of Finland and all Finns rather than just us Karelians. The strongest roots of Finnish culture are in the Kalevalan and Kanteletar tradition. That tradition has significantly contributed to the birth of our national awareness, to the shaping of an entire nation. Therefore within every Finn is a bit of Karelian culture, an old and stately pine, a landmark in a shifting landscape.

We cannot overlook Jean Sibelius, our most internationally-renowned composer, whose musical world view was strongly influenced by Karelia and Europe. As he himself said: "It was in Karelia that the Finnish tone of compositions was found." A century ago, the cultural trend called Karelianism was a powerful source of inspiration for many of our internationally-famous artists, such as Louis Sparre, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Emil Wikström, Eero Järnefelt and Juhani Aho, to mention but a few great names. For many of them, Karelianism meant defending Finnishness at a turning point in history, in a period when the ascent of the nation was under threat.

Thus it is no wonder that the scenery and character of Karelia are reflected so strongly in Finnish art, in music, literature and the visual arts. World music grows from folk music, as we can note from the success of the group Värttinä, which comes from Karelia. Our task is to put in place the conditions that are essential for the preservation of a Karelian tone in cultural life and in the Finnish lifestyle. I have been pleased to note that also many other of Finland’s tribes have developed an interest in organising themselves around their own distinguishing traits and symbols.

To us Karelians the loss of our native districts has been concrete. Precisely for that reason, the poet Eino Leino’s words: "Home is not just a valley, a village, a lake or a shoreline, but rather part of our deepest being" touch us especially deeply. Many a mother has sent her children out into the world with the words: "Don’t forget where you come from." The meaning of these words becomes clear sooner or later, as I can personally assure you.

Let us dare to be Karelians and show it. A healthy self-esteem is a prerequisite for the achievement of the ambitious goals that we have set for ourselves. The stronger and clearer our own image of ourselves is, the better we shall be able to meet our challenges. Our own strong traditional identity is the solid foundation on which we can confidently build our future.

Finland has consolidated her position in the EU. We have successfully put our own strengths to use in working within the Union. The most central of them include the initiative and activity that we have shown in the implementation of EU action programmes in the regions immediately adjacent to us. These regions are a central part of our operating environment and will continue to be. Finland and her environs are a central part of northern Europe, the Baltic Sea region, whose development prospects over the next few decades are Europe’s most interesting. The future of Europe is founded on functional regions, even though integration is not coming to a halt. Viewed from that perspective, Karelia is now also part of Russia’s north-western economic region, of the zone straddling the Fenno-Russia border, and of the EU’s Northern Dimension, which reaches from the Barents Sea to the Baltic.

As long as a memory of multlingual Viipuri with its diversity of cultures remains in our mind, we need not look very far back through the window of time to find all around the Baltic the thriving, multicultural Hanseatic cities that flourished thanks to trade and business. This can also be an image of the future. From the point of view of Karelia, Finland’s membership of the EU and active, mutually-beneficial cooperation with adjacent regions hold great potential, which can evolve into a real bridge of cooperation and interaction between western Europe and Russia.

Cooperation with adjacent regions needs a stable environment in which to function. It requires different regions to work together and must have popular approval both in the target countries and here in Finland. We must support stable social and economic evolution towards a functioning democracy and civil society in the regions adjacent to us. That way they can become part of a developing northern European economic zone. Finland has a central role and responsibility to develop a network of cooperation that will promote economic, political, social and cultural interaction within the broader region of which we are part.

It is to be hoped that the process of economic and political reform will continue in Russia, whose role in relation to the development of security in Europe is vital. From our perspective, the only path leading to a resolution of the so-called Karelian question is a long period of favourable development in Europe and Russia. There is no other way. Therefore we are promoting all of the measures by means of which good prospects for cooperation between the EU and Russia are being created. After all, we are in a special position in that respect thanks to our common border.

An independent Finland and a democratic Russia are meeting each other on a completely different basis in an integrating Europe. Through open discussion and consultation we can create new and positive channels between our countries.

A proposal that has cropped up in the discourse on Karelia concerns a high-standard international training and research facility to be located in Viipuri. It would be a skill centre, where the subjects taught and the matters under research would be chosen on the basis of their suitability for promoting cooperation with adjacent regions and adding to the skills of which there is such a dire dearth. In particular, there is a need to foster enterprise and train people to build and maintain a modern community. One project that I would like to mention as a positive example is a Finnish-Russian company hatchery, which provides cross-border enterprise training and know-how.

What I would also find interesting is a European Karelia research project, which would involve looking at the region from the perspectives of several disciplines of science and dovetailing it with research focusing on the Baltic Sea region and indeed the whole of Europe’s eastern periphery. Such comprehensive study of a place where many cultures meet would make it easier to understand problems and ensure stable development in the region, in addition to promoting expertise in relation to security policy. The research facility in Viipuri could likewise serve as a kind of Baltic Sea centre, a place where the Northern Dimension could be the focus of multidisciplinary study.

Although the ranks of those born in the ceded part of Karelia are getting thinner each year, their descendants have increased to a considerable number that is continuing to grow. Each and every one of them will be aware of their roots one day. Therefore Karelia lives in them in a concrete way each day. Therefore we must conduct a national discourse on Karelia. It is our right, and also our duty.