Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at a banquet given in honour of President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan on 24 March 2009

(check against delivery)

It is a pleasure for me and my husband to cordially welcome you, President Nazarbayev, once again to Finland. Your visit is the first state visit by the President of Kazakhstan to Finland, and I believe it will further strengthen good relations between our countries.

We have discussed the deepening of bilateral cooperation. Today an intergovernmental agreement has been signed concerning taxation, which promotes the development of our trade relations. A memorandum has also been signed on cooperation in the field of education. Tomorrow you will meet with Finnish business leaders and learn more about Finland's innovation policy. Kazakhstan interests Finnish companies. Your country has set itself the objective of improving competitiveness. I believe that Kazakhstan's work for the World Trade Organization membership has further strengthened companies' interest in your country. There is plenty of room for economic relations between Finland and Kazakhstan to grow.

Your country is known as a promoter of cultural diversity. Tolerance between different ethnic and religious groups has always been part of Kazakhstan's culture.

Kazakhstan has taken important steps in reforming its legislation. We Finns hope that your country will continue its efforts to promote democracy, human rights and good governance. This is very important for your own development, and Kazakhstan can be a good example for others and in this way support stability, security and sustainable development throughout Central Asia.

Finland is establishing an embassy in Astana this year. We want to show in this way how important we consider the further development of our relations with Kazakhstan.

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Finland considers important to increase cooperation between the European Union and the countries of Central Asia. We have worked actively to develop the EU's Central Asian strategy. We support the development of relations between the EU and Kazakhstan and want to continue to show initiative in this work. The Union and Kazakhstan should seek new possibilities for cooperation in the energy field, but I believe that these can also be found in many other sectors.

Kazakhstan plays a significant role in enhancing international security and development initiatives. On your initiative, President Nazarbayev, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia was established. Your country also has a leading role in a UN group that is studying the special problems of landlocked countries.

Finland and Kazakhstan are linked by the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which Finland held in 2008 and Kazakhstan will take over in 2010. The OSCE is an important cooperation organization both as a key actor in crisis management and in strengthening democratic institutions.

Today we had a chance to discuss Finland's experiences during its OSCE chairmanship. In Finland, we have noted that Kazakhstan is preparing carefully for its own chairmanship. Finland is ready to support Kazakhstan when it chairs the OSCE.

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As globalization proceeds, countries' interdependence has increased in many different ways. A lot of good things have happened, but new problems have also arisen. A timely example of this is the current financial crisis, which has spread very quickly. On the other hand, we have witnessed new joint efforts to resolve it. The international financial system must be reformed rapidly. We must turn globalization into a positive force that supports growth, decent work, sustainable development and justice so that the benefits are distributed more fairly among and within countries.

Societies' stable development requires that all citizens are able to participate in economic and political activity. In today's globalizing world, supporting women's equal participation and ensuring girls' educational opportunities are very effective means to promote peace, stability and sustainable development.

Finland and Kazakhstan can through their own actions promote the strengthening of multilateral cooperation. Mitigating the effects of climate change and promoting sustainable development and a fairer globalization are examples of the challenges that require closer international cooperation particularly within the framework of the United Nations.

Finally, allow me, Mr President, to propose a toast to your honour, to the welfare and happiness of the people of Kazakhstan and to cooperation between our countries.