Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at a seminar on “The Year 1809 and the Aftermath” in Turku on 25 August 2009

The historic year of 1809 has been commemorated with numerous events in Finland, Sweden and Russia. The developments that took place two hundred years ago have come to life in a new way. Indeed, there are many good reasons to examine the circumstances in which the political connection between Finland and Sweden was severed, with Finland becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire.

It is easy to forget that the Finnish War was part of a broader European crisis. Russia was developing into a great power. Napoleon had risen to power in France and was trying to give his country control of Europe. Battles were taking place all over. Sweden and Russia had already fought several wars in the 18th century, with Finland as a battleground. Towards the end of that century, it became increasingly difficult for Sweden to defend its eastern territory – what is today Finland.

Runeberg’s moving depiction of the Finnish War of 1808-09, which was only published in 1848 and 1860, remains an integral part of the literary canon of Finland and of Sweden as well. New historical research will help us gain an even better understanding both of events associated with the war itself and of the era in which our national poet wrote his epic work.

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From an international perspective, it is quite interesting that Finns have been commemorating the historic year of 1809 together with both Swedes and Russians. Numerous commemorative events have looked at the interaction between the Finns and the Swedes during a period spanning over more than six centuries, which was interrupted by the war. Relations between our countries during, and after, the period of autonomy have also been the subject of some studies. The influence of Russia and the Russian people has, naturally, been a more important issue in studies focusing on the period of autonomy. Here in Finland, a key question has been how the era of autonomy affected our country’s development towards independence.

The fact that substantial changes were taking place in Sweden, too, at the same time has not drawn as much attention in Finland. This is why it is of such great interest to examine here in this seminar events that occurred after the Finnish War also from the Swedish perspective. Turku is a very good choice for the hosting of this gathering.

The city of Turku was chosen as the meeting place for Emperor Alexander I and Crown Prince Carl Johan after Sweden gave up the goal of reconquering Finland. This decision was also linked to the wider political situation in Europe. Sweden had to accept the new reality, and Russia wanted to stabilise its northern frontier as Napoleon was marching on Moscow.

For Sweden, the solution reached in 1812 has resulted in, first and foremost, a lengthy period of peace and neutrality. The stability of the North has increased over the long term. On the other hand, this policy meant that Sweden could not get involved, even when Finland was forced into a war during our period of independence.

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The latest phase in Finnish-Swedish relations commenced when our two countries joined the European Union simultaneously in 1995. Our cooperation within the Union has been close and fruitful. It is our wish that Sweden will achieve its goals now that it is in charge of the EU Presidency.

Sweden is aiming to have the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region approved during the coming autumn. It is essential that all coastal states participate in the drafting of decisions that affect the use and conservation of our shared marine environment.
Unfortunately, the Baltic is estimated to be one of the world’s most polluted seas. Urgent measures are needed to protect it. Globally speaking, the Baltic coastal states are quite enlightened, in addition to which they number among the wealthiest countries in the world. We are therefore capable of looking after the wellbeing of our sea – if we manage to cooperate effectively.

Prime Minister Vanhanen and I are inviting political and business leaders and representatives of civic society from the other coastal states to the Baltic Sea Action Summit, which will be held in Helsinki next February. The idea of this project is to gather commitments from both the public and private sector to act in favour of a healthier Baltic Sea.

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This year is also the anniversary of many other important events that occurred in the recent history of our continent. Many countries are marking the fall of the Iron Curtain, which divided Europe 20 years ago. The day before yesterday was the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Next November, Finland will mark the beginning of the Winter War, which tested our country so severely, and also took place 70 years ago.

Ensign Stål began his tales modestly by declaring that “I might know a thing or two”. This phrase could serve as a fine guideline for all historical research. Our conception of past events and of the developments that influenced them is being supplemented on a continuous basis. Each generation creates the history of its own era, but it also rewrites existing accounts of earlier periods based on its own knowledge and preferences. It is unwise to attempt to shackle the past with so-called official histories. It is also problematic to attempt to justify the decisions of today with historical events alone.

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Historians are deepening our understanding of why Sweden came to its foreign policy decision in the early 19th century as well as how this affected Finland and Northern Europe. From today’s point of view, it is important that Finland and Sweden have become highly developed Nordic welfare states, and that mutual cooperation and peaceful relations between all the Baltic coastal states are now more extensive than they have ever been.