Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at the banquet to mark the state visit by the President of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, 14 March 2007

(check against delivery)

I take great pleasure in welcoming you, the leader of our brother nation, on this state visit to Finland, Mr President. The Finns and the Estonians are close acquaintances, and there are close links between our countries and their citizens. We are close geographically, linguistically and in how we think.

You and I know each other very well too, Mr President. We have met several times both in public and in private since the time we were both foreign ministers over a decade ago. You visited Finland briefly immediately after your inauguration, and now you have chosen to pay your first official state visit in Finland. We do appreciate that a lot.

There are many historical links between our nations. Both experienced a national awakening in the 19th century, and the song written by Fredrik Pacius to a poem by J.L. Runeberg, Our Land, ended up as a symbol of national identity for both Finns and Estonians. Today it is played twice, as the national anthem of two independent countries.

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In the mid-19th century, Estonian poet Lydia Koidula coined the phrase ‘Finland Bridge’ to illustrate the close interaction between Finns and Estonians in the sphere of literature, the arts and culture in general. This bridge has never disappeared. Our languages are closely related, and this alone has forged a strong bond between us. However,
I must admit that Estonians are much more active in studying Finnish that we Finns are in studying Estonian.

The ‘Finland Bridge’ is not just a poetic image of the Romantic era; today, it is very much a feature of real life. Almost seven million people travel between Finland and Estonia every year. Most of them are tourists, but thousands of people actually commute across the Gulf of Finland every day.

One year ago, the free mobility of labour was finally achieved between Finland and Estonia, as indeed between all the new EU Member States. And for over a month now, people who live permanently in Estonia but do not have citizenship have been able to travel to Finland without a visa. Cooperation between our employment authorities and other officials has been exemplary. Today, our justice ministers have already been discussing future projects, such as enhancing legal business activities between our countries.

Finland is Estonia’s largest trading partner, and Finland’s trade with Estonia is almost as large in volume as our trade with all the other eleven new EU Member States combined. Thousands of Finnish companies operate in Estonia in a wide variety of sectors. Estonian companies are also beginning to show an interest in operating in Finland, as witness the business delegation that arrived with you.

Finland and Estonia have chosen different paths in national defence. Nevertheless, we pursue close cooperation in security and defence policy, and our defence ministers have met earlier today too. We also cooperate with success in practical crisis management efforts. In 2008, we will jointly be taking a turn in the EU Battlegroups.

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Finland and Estonia are both Member States of the European Union. Through enlargement, the EU has brought prosperity and security to an increasingly wide area. This process is based on a democratic society, the rule of law, respect for human rights and implementation of the four freedoms of the EU. However, Europe is much bigger than the EU, even after enlargement. Cooperation in Europe needs the EU’s neighbouring area policy, cooperation with Russia and the Northern Dimension. We must continue to be active in the Council of Europe, the OSCE and other European organizations.

It is also vital to continue with the internal integration of the EU and to maintain the decision-making capacity of the Union under all circumstances. One of the principal aims of Finland’s EU Presidency, which just recently came to an end, was to improve the external functionality and uniformity of the EU so that the EU could become a more influential player in global matters. No single country or region can cope on its own in facing rapidly changing challenges and threats. Combating climate change is a clear example of a case where global cooperation is absolutely necessary. The EU must be efficient in and of itself, but above all we must recognize the power of cooperation, above all within the United Nations and with other global players.

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I would like to take this opportunity to thank you personally for your international actions and particularly for the support that Estonia gave Finland during our EU Presidency. I believe that we Finns and Estonians will find a great deal to give to the world and much mutual benefit in our future cooperation.

I would like to propose a toast to you, Mr President and Mrs Ilves, to the prosperity of our brother nation of Estonia, and to cooperation between our two countries.