Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at City Hall in Santiago de Chile on 5 November 2003

I would like to express my warm thanks, Mr Mayor, for being made an honorary citizen of Santiago. I will carefully preserve the key to the city which I received as proof of this.

I would also like to thank you on behalf of my husband and my companions for the friendly reception and hospitality which your city and its people have offered us. Although I have visited Santiago before, I always find something new and fascinating here. I especially appreciate the fine way in which you have been able to preserve your city's historical architecture in spite of dynamic growth. If the founder of Santiago, Captain Pedro de Valdivia, were among us now, I believe that he would be satisfied with the building work of later generations.

For many Finnish companies Santiago is an important base from which they do business in many other Latin American countries as well as Chile. With economic cooperation, cultural exchanges and tourism steadily increasing between Finland and Chile, you can expect, Mr Mayor, that we Finns will also be more visible in Santiago's international city scene.

Here I would like to mention the good connections between Santiago and Helsinki. In spite of geographical distance I believe that our capitals can expand cooperation and together seek solutions to the many problems facing modern cities, in such areas as planning, transport and the environment.

Since you, Mr Mayor, in addition to all your other tasks are also the President of the Board of the Teatro Municipal, I would like to express special thanks for the care and hospitality which you offered the Savonlinna Opera when it visited Santiago in May of this year. I personally had the pleasure of experiencing the Teatro Municipal's great success in Finland last July and August. That triumphant visit brought Chilean opera to the awareness of the entire Finnish nation. Experience of cooperation has been so outstanding that we want it to continue. I am glad that you also think this way at the Teatro Municipal.

Once again I would like to thank you for this fine reception and for the honour you have given me in this fine historical City Hall. I wish you and your wife and all the people of Santiago the very best success.