Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at the Banquet for the Official Visit of Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia, 11 October 2007

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Mr President, allow me once more warmly welcome you and your delegation to Finland. This visit is nothing less than historical. Even if there is a long lasting relationship between our two nations, you are the first Georgian President to pay an official visit to Finland. Almost exactly two years ago my husband and I were enjoying your hospitality in Georgia when we paid an official visit to your beautiful country.

Today we have had an opportunity to discuss many issues of mutual interest. This visit allows you to learn to know us Finns and our country better – including Åland, which is an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland.

Responding to the challenges of globalization requires commitment to sustainable and socially fair development. I consider that our welfare state model and investing in education and lifelong learning as well as in innovation are key factors behind Finland’s success. According to many international surveys Finland is one of the most competitive countries in the world. In the 2007 Transparency International Corruption Index Finland is found again the least corrupt country – this time together with Denmark and New Zealand.

There is also obvious potential for broader economic and business relations between our countries. The Finnish businessmen are rediscovering Georgia, and I would hope that Finland will be of increasing interest to your businesses too. In this respect, it is positive that you have brought a business delegation with you.

Contacts between our countries have widened in many ways. Interactions between parliaments, friendship societies and think tanks contribute in a valuable manner to building bridges not only between the two countries but also between the North and the South. The visit of the Speakers of the Nordic and Baltic Parliaments to Georgia two weeks ago is a good example of the intensifying dialogue with your country.

Good relations with neighbouring countries and within regions are highly important to all countries. We have benefited a lot from the cooperation among the Nordic States, the five Nordic sisters, and from the Baltic Sea cooperation – not to mention the membership in the European Union. We support the Black Sea region cooperation which could profit from the good examples of the Baltic Sea cooperation. We feel that different regional activities are complementary and not competing with each other.

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Only four years have passed since the Rose Revolution in Georgia. Your Government has been and will be facing enormous challenges in building up a new country and proceeding with the needed reforms. According to various international indicators, Georgia has been a very good performer. Naturally a lot remains to be done – and it is important to keep the process on a positive track.

Finland is actively supporting the Georgian reform process – both bilaterally and through the EU and other international organisations such as the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the United Nations. The first EU Special Representative to the region was a Finnish senior diplomat, Ambassador Heikki Talvitie. And I am happy to note that Spain – current holder of the OSCE chairmanship – has decided to nominate Finnish Ambassador Terhi Hakala as Head of the OSCE Mission to Georgia.

The EU Neighbourhood Policy Action Plans were adopted under the leadership of the Finnish EU Presidency a year ago. It was a significant step in the relations between the Union and Georgia. We have been very pleased to note that Georgia has started the implementation process very seriously. Focus on implementation is the key issue – and will be beneficial for the development of your country.

We should promote actively closer cooperation between the EU, the Council of Europe and the OSCE. These organizations are based on common European values on promoting democracy, the respect for human rights and the rule of law. Coherent activities of all three will efficiently promote achieving our shared objectives of security and economic prosperity throughout our continent.

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Finland will hold the OSCE Chairmanship in 2008 – and we are looking forward to working with you and other participating states in the same transparent and cooperative manner than previously. Many of the challenges we face today are the same which we discussed already at the OSCE Helsinki Summit in 1992, when Georgia joined the Organization. We consider that the Organization still has a lot of work to accomplish, especially in strengthening the democratic institutions in the OSCE area.

The unresolved conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia – together with Nagorno-Karabakh – are a major hindrance for stability, prosperity and good neighbourly relations in the South Caucasus. Too many years have passed without major progress in the peace processes. A “no war, no peace” situation can easily provoke other kind of threats for the whole region.

Finland fully supports all means to find peaceful and lasting solutions to conflicts. All efforts must be taken to build up the mutual confidence between the conflicting parties. Mr President, your personal engagement and determination is crucially important in this respect.

In the globalized world, where borders are gradually becoming less significant and people from different countries and cultures come into close contact with each other, we can all learn from the wise words of your great poet Shota Rustaveli "All that you give to others, belongs to you, all you try to keep for yourself will be lost forever."

Mr President, let me propose a toast to you and your delegation, to the happiness and prosperity of the people of Georgia and to the future cooperation between our countries.