SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND, MR. MARTTI AHTISAARI




SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND,
MR. MARTTI AHTISAARI AT A DINNER HOSTED BY
PRESIDENT EZER WEIZMAN OF ISRAEL
IN JERUSALEM ON 4.10.1999



On my own and my wife’s behalf, I thank you President Weizman for your warm sentiments of welcome and your pleasant comments on relations between Finland and Israel. I wholeheartedly concur with your cordial words.

Finland and Israel are united by shared values of Western democracy and a political system founded on a free market economy and social justice. Finland recognised the state of Israel already in its early infancy, in March 1949. Our bilateral relations have always been good. Divergent views on international issues from time to time have never influenced that fact. And so it should be between friends.

Our Jewish compatriots in Finland are another important factor that unites us. Like the other Finns, they have played a part – in both war and peace – in building and defending the society that we share.

Economic cooperation between our countries has been developing briskly in recent years. Israel is an important trade partner for us. Your free-trade agreements with the European Union and the United States create a framework for continuing dynamic growth in trade.

In a globalising world, however, visible trade is only one part of the economic interaction between our countries. A feature that we both share is solid expertise in making advanced technology – especially sophisticated communications systems – a central growth factor. To take just one example: Finland and Israel boast cellular phone densities that are close to the top of the world table. We are pleased that a Finnish product is the market leader in this respect in Israel.

I believe that now is an opportune time for our experts to get together to explore opportunities for cooperation between our countries in the area of technology. We have a lot in common, but it is the differences between our approaches that could provide fruitful ground for a systematic development of cooperation.

Cultural exchange between us is lively, especially in the performing arts. Finnish and Israeli artistes frequently visit each other’s countries. As an opera-lover, I am especially delighted that the New Israeli Opera will be giving several guest performances at our festival in Savonlinna next summer. In turn, our Savonlinna company will visit Israel a year later to perform at the International Opera Festival in Caesarea.

Mr. President, I happen to know that you and Mrs. Weizman have your home in Caesarea.

My wife and I will certainly go to Savonlinna when your opera company visits us, and I hope you will have an opportunity to attend when the Finns perform practically on your doorstep.

The Middle East is an important neighbour for Europe and also for us Finns as Europeans. Its peace and stability lie in our common interests. In the North, the Baltic Sea once united the peoples living around its shores much better than the primitive roads of those days ever could. Now that the Cold War has ended, the Baltic once again unites the countries around it in an ever-closer network of interactions. At the southern end of our continent, the Mediterranean has been a vital artery for interaction throughout history. The European Union’s policies have the goal of making the Mediterranean region one of peace, stability and prosperity in which Israel has a natural place. Now that we hold the Presidency of the European Union, we are working hard to ensure progress towards this strategic goal.

Europe has in recent times suffered conflicts in regions and countries where extremists with nationalist, ethnic or religious agendas have gained control of events. I have seen the destruction that resulted. I was personally drawn into the Kosovo peace process in May and June and have just described those experiences to your distinguished Israeli Council on Foreign Relations. Although there is no direct point of comparison between the crises in the Balkans and the situation in the Middle East, it is obvious that backwards-looking thinking can not offer solutions to the political conflicts of this region, either. Drawing borders as part of a permanent solution is important, but an even more essential precondition for real security is to be able to cross them. President Urho Kekkonen said during the worst period of the Cold War that security does not mean erecting fences, but rather opening doors. I agree.

The premises on which the European Union bases its approach to finding a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East are well known. They were most recently confirmed at the highest political level in Berlin last March and again three months later in Cologne. A prerequisite for peace is that collectively accepted principles and agreements that have been entered into made are respected and implemented. UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 remain the foundation for a lasting and just peace settlement.

I hope that the talks between Israel and the Palestinians will soon lead to solutions that take the interests of both parties into account. We believe that a permanent solution can be achieved if the political will to overcome the obstacles in the way is found. I have been very pleased to note the determination with which Israel is striving for peace with Syria and Lebanon. Your new Government’s promise to withdraw from Southern Lebanon is encouraging.

The achievement of peace in the Middle East is something for which the parties to the conflict bear primary responsibility. All that others can do is offer their assistance. The European Union is ready to help if the parties so request.

I propose a toast to the good health of President and Mrs. Weizman, to the success of the people and State of Israel, to peace in the Middle East and to good relations between our countries now and in the future.