SPEECH BY PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC TARJA HALONEN TO THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS ON 1.3.2000

Let me begin by expressing my warmest thanks for your kind attentions since my election. I consider myself very privileged to be able to assume my office as President of the Republic after five years as Minister for Foreign Affairs. The excellent cooperation that Finland has enjoyed both with you representatives of the diplomatic corps who are based here and with the communities all over the world that you represent makes me confident about the future.

Nation-states are still the central actors in international relations. Heads of state, governments, parliaments and officials from every sector of society participate in this work, and in addition to them civil society and direct contact between people are flourishing.

That is an excellent thing from the perspective of internal development in our countries. We are adding to our learning and preventing narrow-minded nationalism. Democracy, human rights, the principles of the rule of law and social justice convince us time and time again of their importance and international contacts help motivate us to strive for their implementation.

But international cooperation is also an excellent means of resolving many problems or managing phenomena that are transnational in character. Globalisation or the environment inevitably spring to mind in this connection. We still need to learn a lot to be able to engage in this cooperation.

It is you who can be the harbingers of a new security and the midwives of cooperation.

I wish you the best of success in your important work and assure you of my sincere willingness to cooperate with you.