President Halonen in Budapest: Europe must stick to its values

"Twenty years ago, Hungarians were the first to cut the Iron Curtain, which had divided European countries and peoples for decades. Hungary’s bold decisions in 1989 accelerated the political change of Europe," President of the Republic Tarja Halonen said in Budapest on Saturday 27 June 2009. President Halonen was in Hungary to participate in an event commemorating the fall of the Iron Curtain and the opening of Europe’s borders 20 years ago. President Halonen noted the unparalleled liveliness of interaction between countries and peoples in the Europe of today and said that the European Union had become a global actor. The picture of the present situation in Europe is not, however, completely rosy. "The deepening economic crisis has brought with it uncertainty about the future, while growing unemployment is causing human suffering and social instability."

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In a speech at the Hungarian Parliament, President Halonen turned her gaze towards the future and urged the new Europe to stick to the basic values of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law – goals for which Finland has been working since the 1970s through the Security and Cooperation in Europe process. "Cooperation, tolerance and mutual respect are vital ingredients for Europe, now and in the future."

President Halonen said Europe should also act responsibly with respect to global challenges, the most important of which are the development of the international financial architecture and the fight against climate change.

Bilateral meetings

During her visit, President Halonen engaged in bilateral discussions with Hungarian President Lászlo Sólyom and Federal President Heinz Fischer of Austria.

President of the Republic Tarja Halonen and President Lászlo Sólyom of Hungary opened an exhibition of how Finland looks through Hungarian eyes at the Budapest Museum of Ethnography.
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The issues raised during discussions between President Halonen and President Sólyom included cooperation within the Baltic Sea region as well as the European Union’s Baltic Sea strategy, in addition to which the two presidents talked about the preparations for next December’s UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

President Halonen and Federal President Fischer talked about topical issues within the European Union.

Finland through Hungarian eyes

President Halonen and President Lászlo Sólyom of Hungary opened an exhibition called "How we see the Finns?" at the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest in conjunction with the visit. The exhibition, which will remain open until the end of November 2010, looks at how the Hungarians have viewed Finland and the Finns since the 19th century up to the present day, examining phenomena ranging from Finnish clothing design and Alvar Aalto to heavy metal music and the traditions of the Sami people. This is the biggest Finland-themed exhibition that has been arranged in Hungary over the last few decades.

"The roots of the relationship between Finland and Hungary lie deep and our cooperation is going through a new renaissance now that we are both members of the EU. Civic activity continues to be a key aspect of the close relationship between our two countries," President Halonen said in her opening speech. A large number of the items displayed in the exhibition are associated with the activities of various twin towns, twin congregations and friendship societies.

The event to mark the opening of Europe’s borders and the fall of the Iron Curtain was also attended by Federal President Horst Köhler of Germany, Slovenian President Danilo Türk, Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz as well as a host of other current and former ministers and other politicians. In addition to Budapest, the events of twenty years ago will be commemorated in Poland and Germany, among other places, this year.

Photo below: Guests gather on the balcony of the Sándor Palace: (from left) Slovenian President Danilo Türk, President Hans-Rudolf Merz of Switzerland, Hungarian President László Sólyom, President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen, Federal President Heinz Fischer of Austria, German Federal President Horst Köhler, Albanian President Bamir Topi and Grand Master of the Order of Malta Matthew Festing. Copyright © Office of the President of the Republic of Finland.

Speech by President Halonen at the event marking the fall of the Iron Curtain in Budapest

Exhibition "How we see the Finns?" - Embassy of Finland in Budapest