Speech by President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen at an official dinner hosted by President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Janez Drnovšek at the Brdo Castle on 11 October 2005

On behalf of my husband and for my own part I would like to thank you, Mr President, for inviting us to Slovenia and for giving us this opportunity to visit your beautiful country. I warmly remember your visit last year to Finland and the productive talks we had. You were accompanied by a delegation representing science, research and the economy in Slovenia. Your visit has already resulted in many fruitful contacts and I am convinced that the contacts between our two countries will continue to intensify in the coming years.

Our perceptions of the society we live in, of the Europe we are building and of the world we are developing are very similar – and Finland has often found a like-minded partner in Slovenia at different multilateral arenas. In geographical terms, we are not close neighbours but our histories have some similarities. As border zone countries, we have been at the front line of conflicting interests and this has brought us challenging times. These experiences connect us.

On the crossroads between east and west, our two countries have been influenced by different cultures, giving us both a rich cultural diversity. Maybe it is just a coincidence but in both countries gaining education and knowledge is greatly valued. Both countries have also invested in the library network and people often obtain books from libraries.

As a part of our cultural co-operation, an exhibition concerning Tapio Wirkkala was opened today at the Castle of Fuzine. Tapio Wirkkala was an eminent Finnish designer whose work has contributed to the high international reputation of Finnish design. The natural environment of Lapland greatly influenced his work. Many of his most successful designs are still in production and, after so many years, still look very modern. The Chanterelle vase, which you, Mr President, received as a gift last year, is a good example of this. His other well-known glassware creations are the Iceberg vase and the Ultima Thule crystal collection. For many people, his best-known design may of course be the Finlandia vodka bottle.

In recent years, Slovenia has become more familiar to ordinary citizens in Finland. Tourism is growing, students come here to study for a semester or two, and we know that the number of official and business visits to Slovenia has increased.

Our cooperation takes place on an everyday and very practical basis. As two EU Member States, we work together on the issues that are on the EU agenda. Both Slovenia and Finland consider it important that civil society and NGOs are actively involved in the preparation of our policies and positions. Slovenia has been a member of the Union for a year and a half. Slovenia has taken a constructive approach to EU issues.

Finland will hold the EU Presidency during the latter half of next year. For us this will be the second time Our administration is just as prepared for and dedicated to this task as it was the first time in 1999. In the first half of 2008, Slovenia will be the first new Member State to hold the Presidency of the EU. I am happy that many contacts have already been made between Finnish and Slovenian officials to exchange experience and know-how. From what we have seen of Slovenia’s determination to fulfill its international obligations, for example the ongoing Chairmanship of the OSCE, it gives us every reason to expect a successful EU Presidency. We have admired the efficiency and tireless efforts of your country in promoting the agenda of the OSCE.

We have also noted with appreciation the engagement and dedication with which Slovenia is working to stabilize development in the Western Balkans. Slovenia is a big investor in the region and a tireless supporter of the closer integration of these countries into Europe. As I said last year when you visited Finland, Slovenia provides an encouraging example to the Western Balkans countries to continue with needed reforms.

Mr. President, we both participated in the UN Summit a few weeks ago. There have been many comments in the media about the outcome. Many people have been disappointed. I think, however, that we have to view the results in a larger context and not compare them with the highest expectations. The results in the area of development were positive. Finland would also have liked to see more progress in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation. Finland has been and still is in favour of a comprehensive reform of the UN.

For Finland, promoting human rights is very important. The UN Summit decision to set up a Human Rights Council is excellent. In order to achieve real progress in human rights issues, we must ensure that enough women participate in the work not only in this UN body but at international forums in general. Respecting the rights of all people is the aim. We should also note that women are the majority in the world, not the minority. We cannot afford to ignore this resource. Women’s rights, preventing violence against women and gender equality are of vital importance in promoting human rights, development and economic prosperity.

Mr. President, I wish you and the Slovenian people every success and a prosperous future, and also good luck with your upcoming EU Presidency. I am convinced that the bilateral contacts between our countries in all sectors will increase and strengthen our already good relations.