Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at a state banquet in honour of the state visit by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Norway at the Presidential Palace, 5 June 2007

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My husband and I would like to bid you, the King and Queen, a warm welcome to Finland. This is your second official visit to Finland, which demonstrates the special warmth and closeness that our two Nordic countries and their people enjoy. We have met on other occasions too, most recently at the memorable birthday banquet at the Royal Palace in Oslo in February this year.

This state visit features a rich and varied programme, which gives us a unique opportunity to exchange views on challenges which we both face in a rapidly changing world. Globalization has opened up new opportunities, but it has also brought new challenges. Developments in Europe have been rapid and substantial, not least because of the enlargement of the European Union.

Norway is actively involved in European cooperation through EEA membership, through Schengen and through participation in the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy. The EU’s Nordic battlegroup, with troops from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia and Ireland, will be on standby from the beginning of next year. Norway is also a valuable partner in the Northern Dimension, which also allows for considerable cooperation to improve the state of the Baltic Sea.

Paralleling Norway’s cooperation with the EU, Finland is cooperating with NATO in the Partnership for Peace programme. We have committed troops to NATO-led operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo. In the area of defence, we are interested in pursuing closer cooperation with the other Nordic countries.

Both Norway and Finland are countries which can provide service to the international community. Increasingly, our contributions are aimed at countries with severe internal conflicts. If the great humanist and pacifist Edvard Grieg were alive today, he would surely be very satisfied with Norway’s active peace policy. Edvard Grieg was a champion of freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law by thought and by deed.

I have myself had the opportunity to engage in close cooperation with Norwegians in the area of international security. This cooperation has increased with the founding of the Oslo Centre for Peace and Human Rights last year. I am involved in the work of the Centre together with colleagues such as Thorbjörn Jagland and Kjell Magne Bondevik.

Norway has shown great expertise and considerable resources in contributing to peace and reconciliation for example in the Middle East, in Afghanistan, in Sri Lanka, in Sudan, in Somalia and in Nepal. I have great respect for these contributions. I would also like to thank Norway for its solid support for President Martti Ahtisaari in his difficult task of finding a solution for Kosovo – which would also contribute to stabilisation of the situation in the western Balkans.

During this visit, we are paying particular attention to the rights of women and children in conflict areas. UN Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security calls for the role of women to be strengthened to help prevent conflict and build peace. Norway and the Norwegian national action plan for implementing the Resolution are an example for us in shaping our own programme. Finland is working actively to implement the resolution.

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Finland and Norway have the same neighbours; we both share a land border with Sweden and with Russia. Cross-border cooperation with Russia holds great future potential both for Finnmark and for the northern and north-eastern parts of Finland. The Northern Dimension can help us realize that potential.

Russia is one of Finland’s three largest trading partners. The oil and gas resources in Russian and Norwegian coastal waters in the Arctic Ocean are of crucial importance for Europe’s future energy supply. There are hopes in Finland of continued cooperation between Norway and Russia in the exploitation and transport of oil and natural gas in such a way as to benefit Finnish businesses, too.

This autumn, Finland will be stepping down as chair of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council. One achievement of the past period is the decision to found an international Barents Secretariat in Kirkenes to benefit the entire Barents region.

The Arctic Council, which Norway is chairing for a two-year period, has been a pioneer in climate policy. Both Norwegian and Finnish scholars contributed to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, which in the run-up to the publishing of the UN’s new climate reports raised climate awareness in many countries. Last winter, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change created political momentum for the EU to take the global lead in preventing catastrophic changes in the climate. The Norwegian government has committed itself to a climate policy which is at least as ambitious. I would like to note in this context that the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-moon, has appointed Gro Harlem Brundtland as one of his special envoys on climate change.

Culture is an important balance to an increasing focus on material values. In both Norway and Finland, the fine arts and music have played a major role in the shaping of national identity and cohesion. This year, we have the opportunity to honour composers Jean Sibelius and Edvard Grieg at the same time.

It is impossible to describe relations between Norway and Finland without discussing sports, particularly winter sports. Sports events are highly popular in both countries, and as often as not it is the Finns and the Norwegians who are competing for the top positions. But it is also gratifying that there is a lot of cooperation in sports too. Finnish skiers are being coached by a Norwegian, and Norway’s ski-jumping team is coached by a Finn. The best thing is that both have achieved world-class results.
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The first day of your official visit is nearing its end. Your visit will continue outside the Helsinki area, and we are particularly happy that we will be able to show you more widely our country and our society.

Your Majesties,

I would like to propose a toast to your very good health, to the happiness of your family, and to a continuing and deeper friendship between our two nations.