SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND,
MR. MARTTI AHTISAARI AT A BANQUET
HOSTED BY PRESIDENT ERNESTO ZEDILLO OF THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES
IN MEXICO CITY ON 22.2.1999

Let me begin, Señor President, by thanking you for the kind words and expressions of welcome that you have addressed to my wife and myself personally as well as to the party accompanying me. I also appreciate the cordial sentiments that you have expressed about Finland and her people.

It is a pleasure and honour for me to be the first Finnish President to pay a state visit to Mexico. However, relations between our countries and peoples go back many decades. Mexico recognised the young Republic of Finland in July 1920, and a treaty of friendship between us was signed as long ago as 1936. On 11 November this year, we shall be celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between our countries. Thus my visit is taking place at a milestone in history. It demonstrates our governments’ strong interest in further developing and deepening our good and unproblematic relations.

The Finns have a very positive image of Mexico as a country with a colourful history, strong multicultural roots, a rich heritage of traditions and a vigorously developing economy. These factors together with your beautiful scenery are attracting growing numbers of Finnish tourists to this fascinating country, which we inhabitants of northern Europe find very exotic. I personally always associate the name Mexico with a dash of excitement, because as a young man I used to read popular novels in which the hero was a Finnish adventurer caught up in the maelstrom of revolution in Mexico.

Since the Revolution, your country has developed enormously. Today, Mexico is a rapidly industrialising country, which under your leadership is strengthening its democratic system so as to be better able to meet the challenges of our times. Your Government is also working determinedly to solve the social and economic problems that still exist in your country.

Mexico has thrown open her economy and foreign trade to international competition. Our two countries work in good cooperation within the OECD. Your country has been unswerving in its efforts to promote political and economic integration in North and Latin America.

Mexico has traditionally been a prominent actor in international organisations, especially in efforts to promote disarmament and combat drugs. During my many years in the service of the United Nations, I developed a great respect for the constructive way in which Mexico worked to strengthen the structures of the world organisation and increase its effectiveness.

Relations between Europe and Latin America rest on a firm foundation. They are based on shared values and goals, which include increasing international security, promoting stability and development in our societies, strengthening democracy, and safeguarding the fundamental rights of our citizens. When the European Union members gather in Rio de Janeiro next June for a historic first summit together with Latin American and Caribbean countries, we shall have an opportunity to define the shape that our cooperation will assume as we address these and other global problems on the threshold of the new millennium. Finland and Mexico are actively participating in preparations for the summit.

Since it began four years ago, Finland’s membership of the European Union has added further content and liveliness to our relations with Mexico. We actively support strengthening the Union’s political and economic cooperation with your country. During our discussions earlier today, you, Señor President, were equally emphatic in expressing your determination to strengthen and further diversify Mexico’s relations with the EU.

The agreement on economic association, political coordination and cooperation signed in December 1997 provides a solid foundations for those relations. That Finland was the first country to ratify the agreement is one indication of our unswerving support for developing relations with your country.

The EU and Mexico are united in their wish to increase their mutual trade. The member states of the Union account for only around 6% of Mexico’s foreign trade between them, a figure that falls far short of the potential. That is why the ongoing negotiations for a free-trade agreement are so important. When Finland holds the EU Presidency for the second semester of this year, we shall make every effort to ensure that a comprehensive agreement benefiting all parties emerges. Prospects of the negotiations reaching a successful conclusion and the agreement being signed before the end of the year are good.

Relations between Finland and Mexico are good and free of problems. They have become much more lively in recent years, one reflection of which is the frequency of visits on many levels. Ambassador Green’s visit to Finland last November was a successful follow-on to our Foreign Minister Halonen’s visit to your country a year earlier. Our Europe and Foreign Trade Minister Norrback, who is a member of my delegation, also visited Mexico the same year.

Our bilateral trade doubled in both directions last year. Something that further enhances this positive trend is the fact that the statistics do not include exports from third countries, which in our cases are greater than direct exports. Nevertheless, we have the potential for considerably greater trade and economic cooperation.

Unlocking this potential is, in fact, one of my most important goals on this visit. Our governments have made their contribution by negotiating the agreement on protection and promotion of investments that was signed today. Together with the agreement preventing double taxation that has just come into force, it creates a solid legal foundation for the establishment of companies and investments. I am also accompanied on this visit by a high-level industrial and business delegation, the programme of which includes tomorrow’s business conference organised jointly with CEMAI.

Finnish companies’ interest in Mexico as a trade partner and investment location has increased. Tangible proof of this will be seen when two new Finnish production facilities are inaugurated in Reynosa and Monterrey during this visit. These factories represent the sector that is growing fastest in our relations: telecommunications and electronics.

We have today also agreed to increase our cooperation in managing and exploiting your country’s vast forest resources. There is already a long tradition of cooperation between us in the forestry sector. I also see great opportunities for our countries to cooperate in the fields of energy management, materials handling and environmental technology.

Culture is an important source of creativity and energy in both of our countries. Thus it is natural for cultural exchange to feature so prominently in our relations. In the past couple of years we in Finland have been privileged to enjoy some of the vitality and diversity of Mexican culture. The impressive exhibition "The Feathered Serpent and the Jaguar God" introduced us to some of the finest artefacts produced by advanced Mesoamerican cultures. The items were on loan from Mexican and Guatemalan museums. The exhibition attracted record numbers of visitors, as did another presenting Frida Kahlo’s powerful art. My wife and I have been looking forward with special interest to our visit to Oaxaca, where we shall have an opportunity to see some of your country’s most important archaeological monuments.

Finland, in turn, has presented her culture to Mexico in the forms of dance, music and painting. Two art exhibitions are being opened here during my visit. This evening’s concert featuring Finnish and Mexican opera singers aptly symbolises our cultural cooperation.

On behalf of my delegation, I warmly thank you and your wife for the magnificent hospitality that you have accorded us. I would now like to propose a toast to friendship between our countries, the good fortune and happiness of the Mexican people and your personal health.