Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at a banquet in honour of President Askar Akajev of Kyrgyzstan in Helsinki on 3 April 2003

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The Finns and the Kyrgyz are both small nations with a strong sense of national identity. They have managed for centuries to keep their own cultures alive. Although the geographical distance between our countries is thousands of kilometres, our long histories converge at many points. Not least during the decades before the First World War when both of us were part of the Russian Empire at the same time.

As you could see for yourself today when you visited the museum that bears his name, Carl Gustav Mannerheim, who later became Marshal of Finland and President of the Republic, made his much-acclaimed expedition on horseback from Osh through Kyrgyzstan to Sinkiang and all the way to Peking in 1906. Since his days, Presidents Urho Kekkonen and Mauno Koivisto have also visited Kyrgyzstan to make the acquaintance of your country and its people and nature, of which we have read many colourful tales in the novels of Chinghiz Aitmatov.

Today Finland and Kyrgyzstan belong together, as independent states, to numerous international organisations, of which probably the closest to us is the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which was founded here in Helsinki three decades ago.

Mr. President, The last time you visited Finland your purpose had to do with the OSCE. Kyrgyzstan had just become independent and you decided to sign the Helsinki Final Act. The ceremonial signing in Finlandia Hall in July 1992 was a historic event not only for Kyrgyzstan and the other signatory states, but also for the whole of Europe. Security cooperation between Europe and North America expanded genuinely into Central Asia and in the same conjunction the new independent signatories undertook a commitment to common European values, the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. This was complemented with common goals in relation to strengthening security, economic affairs and environmental protection.

Kyrgyzstan became independent as the Cold War was ending and we all had reason to hope that a more stable and more cooperation-centred period in the history of humankind lay ahead. However, things have not worked out quite so well. Security has been shaken in Kyrgyzstan’s immediate region, in Afghanistan, and there was also a failure to resolve the crisis in Iraq peacefully under the leadership of the UN Security Council. Finland regards this as regrettable and hopes the war will come to an end as soon as possible. However, also this situation has shown that no other international institution has replaced, nor could replace, the UN as a guarantor of international peace and security. Also when future decisions and measures concerning Iraq are being shaped and implemented, the UN and its special agencies will bear a central responsibility.

We appreciate your government’s willingness to cooperate with the OSCE and the excellent facilities that were provided to enable the OSCE centre in Bishkek to do its work. For her part, Finland has wanted to contribute to the activities of the centre by sending a Finnish worker there. An indication of growing interest in Kyrgyzstan and the whole of Central Asia is that the OSCE has appointed my predecessor President Martti Ahtisaari as its special representative in the region. We believe that Kyrgyzstan’s active participation in the work of the OSCE will aid the development of a stable democratic society, good governance and economic reforms.

Here in Finland, we felt empathy and optimism as we followed the early stages of Kyrgyz independence and your efforts to achieve social and economic development. We respect you for your lively civil society, genuine political activity and the swiftness with which independent media have come into being and developed in your country. We hope, Mr. President, that the ground rules of democracy and the principle of legality in accordance with the OSCE Commitments will being observed in Kyrgyzstan under your leadership, and thus the recent problems relating to the development of democracy and human rights will be resolved.

The European Union, of which Finland has been a member since the mid-1990s, has been rapidly developing into a significant wielder of international influence in both the economic sphere and the political. The EU will soon be a single market of around 450 million people, generating over a quarter of world GDP. The EU has recently decided not only to enlarge, but also to increase its cooperation with nearby countries. Its interest in Central Asia has been growing. The EU is an increasingly important trade partner and, to the best of my knowledge, is already now the source of a quarter of the new investment being made in your country. The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed between Kyrgyzstan and the EU a few years ago makes it possible for us to broaden and intensify our mutual cooperation.

Bilateral relations between Finland and Kyrgyzstan are good and free of problems, and your visit will add a new high-level weight to them. I believe that Finland can be an interesting partner for Kyrgyzstan. Finland has herself been transformed in a short period, under fifty years, from an isolated agrarian country into a modern industrial nation and welfare society and at the same time adapted successfully to globalisation. In several international comparisons, Finland has ranked first in terms of competitiveness and development of the information society as well as in resisting corruption.

Kyrgyzstan has been and remains one of the target countries for Finnish development cooperation. Multi-year projects have been implemented in the banking sector and others will soon begin in health care and environmental protection. I believe that there are also good prospects for developing trade and other economic cooperation. A tax treaty between our countries and another agreement providing for the protection and promotion of investments were signed this morning. In this way our governments have created a framework for economic cooperation, and companies will now find it easier to begin working together. I also believe that as tourism services develop, the natural beauty of Kyrgyzstan will interest growing numbers of discerning Finnish and other European tourists.

The United Nations has declared 2003 as both a jubilee year to celebrate Kyrgyz statehood and the International Year of Fresh Water. We congratulate Kyrgyzstan. I also want to express my satisfaction that more efficient use of aquatic resources is the focus of international cooperation, with the twin goals of protecting the environment and ensuring a supply of clean water for all of the Kyrgyz.

Mr. President, I want to propose a toast to your good health and the success of the Kyrgyz people as well as to strengthening cooperation between Finland and Kyrgyzstan.