Speech by President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen at a dinner hosted by President Oscar Berger of Guatemala on 1 June 2004

Cooperation between Finland and Guatemala began in the early 1990s, but it was only after the peace agreement in 1996 that relations became considerably closer. In 1997 Finns had a chance to see treasures of Guatemala's Maya culture when two internationally significant exhibitions were brought to our country. The secrets of Maya culture excite our imaginations, and the more we know about it the more fascinated we are by Maya building skills and aesthetic talents. Just recently archaeologists made additional discoveries that have also reached our attention in Finland. Hopefully next summer we will be able to see some of the treasures from the huge palace at Cancuén.

Guatemala's history gives us an idea of the enormous potential of this talented nation. I wish that equal opportunities can be provided for everyone to develop skills for the good of society through comprehensive and high-standard education. Like Finland, Guatemala does not have extensive oil or other riches. Riches must be created through hard work, skills and expertise. Finns have always believed in the importance of open public education and equality in creating prosperity. It is no coincidence that we have chosen education as a focus of our cooperation with Guatemala.

The bilingual education project that began this spring is intended to help the Maya preserve their language and culture. One of the key goals of this government is to create proper conditions for balanced participation in every sphere, and to integrate the Maya into society. Implementing democracy also requires that adults and young people can read and understand official information. Consequently quality public education is indispensable for democracy.

Finland also has its own national minorities in addition to immigrants. The children of our Swedish- and Sami-speaking minorities have the right to study in their own language. As far as possible, immigrant children are also given instruction in their own language weekly to help them preserve their language and culture. Most Finns see the coexistence of different languages and cultures as a factor that can enrich their own culture.

In the near future we will sign another important agreement. This concerns a project to support human rights education and research at Rafael Landivar University and the University of San Carlos. Education is also being provided to help the Maya women understand their rights and to correct misconceptions. This has given them an opportunity to improve their knowledge and strengthen their identity as members of society, mothers and women.

Commercial relations between Finland and Guatemala have remained quite modest. We are of course familiar with Guatemalan coffee and appreciate its quality. Finns have also supplied a power plant on Guatemala's southern coast. Wärtsilä Guatemala takes care of maintaining all the power plants it has supplied in Central America and the Caribbean region. This is a significant activity that is not visible in customs statistics. Small enterprises in Guatemala have shown great interest in Finnish experience in the forestry field. Their representatives have come to Finland to investigate the possibilities of cooperation with Finnish companies. I hope that opportunities for concrete cooperation will be opened in this sector. The forest sector is still one of the cornerstones of the Finnish economy, even though electronics and other high tech industries have surpassed forest products in our export statistics.

Our foreign ministries have started negotiations on an investment agreement. Hopefully this agreement can be signed in the near future, since it will provide a basis for the equal treatment of investments. We trust that our activities to promote Central America's integration into the world economy will produce concrete results so that negotiations concerning an association agreement with the EU can start. A free-trade agreement between the EU and Central America would naturally create better opportunities to develop bilateral trade.

In last year's elections the people of Guatemala firmly closed the door to the shadows of the past and turned their eyes to the future. It has only been eight years since the peace agreement. We know that the wounds of war do not heal in a short time. It takes generations. I would like to congratulate you for the firm implementation of Peace Agreement. The policy of reconciliation will lead to reuniting the people of Guatemala. This is not easy but it will help to resolve social problems and improve the wellbeing of all Guatemalans. Mr President, I wish you good luck and success in the most challenging years of your life!