Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at a banquet in honour of the State Visit of the President of Croatia Ivo Josipović on 24 May 2011

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On behalf of myself and my spouse I would like cordially to welcome you to Finland. It was less than two years ago, in September 2009, that we had the opportunity to visit Croatia. I well remember the beauty of your country and the interesting discussions.

The development in Croatia has been rapid in recent years. You have made progress on several reforms. Croatia is close to EU membership. It was extremely interesting to hear your views on the development of your country and region, and on the development of Europe and the international situation.

The relations between Croatia and Finland are excellent, with active visits between our two countries. In addition to government-level visits, there have been numerous visits of parliamentary friendship groups. Economic and trade delegations pave the way for increasing trade between our countries. Opportunities for cooperation also exist in innovation policy, in environmental technology as well as in more traditional sectors.

Croatians and Finns have come to know each other even better in recent years. Growing tourism has increased direct contacts between the citizens of our two countries. There is a vivid interest in cultural exchange. The experiences of cooperation have been very positive. Mr President, you are well aware how close music is to the hearts of both Croatians and Finns.

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Finland and Croatia are part of Europe. We share common values. We have had good cooperation within the Council of Europe and the OSCE. Our countries are also advocates of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in the global arena. We value the work of the United Nations in promoting international peace and security. Croatia acted recently as a prominent non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and, like Finland, has long been active in international crisis management. Finland is now applying for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

Croatia’s EU membership talks have reached the final phase. Finland has consistently supported the further enlargement of the EU, provided that the new Member States fulfill the jointly agreed membership criteria. Croatia has implemented significant social reforms to satisfy the criteria. I am especially happy with your recent progress in efforts not only towards rooting out corruption, but also in promoting good governance, and reforming the justice system, in general. Mr President, your personal support has been vital in achieving this.

Finland supports Croatia in satisfying the EU membership criteria, both bilaterally and through EU-funded projects. Our experiences of so-called twinning initiatives are positive. We have also been able to set up functional cooperation networks at several levels of government. These will no doubt prove useful also after Croatia’s accession to the European Union. The exchange of experts also opens up many opportunities. An interesting example is UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Connections between civil society actors have served to deepen our relations.

I am confident that Croatia’s path to the EU will serve as a good example to your neighbours. Mr President, your efforts towards improving cooperation between Croatia and its neighbours, and towards increased regional cooperation, have been remarkable. Good relations among neighbours are useful in many ways.

We in Finland have traditionally experienced the other Nordic countries close to us, and we value the importance of Nordic cooperation. Similarly, wider cooperation within the Baltic Sea region has continued to grow. Even after Finland joined the EU, our day-to-day interaction and cooperation have not lost their importance. On the contrary, our membership has been useful both in relation to other EU members as well as to non-EU countries. I am confident that the regional cooperation between Croatia and her neighbours will prove equally natural and enduring. Perhaps the Nordic cooperation, or the cooperation among the Baltic Sea countries, might be a source of inspiration for cooperation in your region.

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Your visit serves to further deepen the excellent relations between our two countries. You have the opportunity to increase the knowledge of Finns on your country. I also hope that your visit will leave you with a diverse picture of Finnish society and culture.

Mr President, I would like to propose a toast to you and your spouse, to the happiness of the Croatian people, and to the fruitful cooperation between our countries.