SPEECH
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND,
MR. MARTTI AHTISAARI AT A DINNER HOSTED BY
PRESIDENT EZER WEIZMAN OF ISRAEL
IN JERUSALEM ON 4.10.1999
On my own and my
wife’s behalf, I thank you President Weizman for
your warm sentiments of welcome and your pleasant
comments on relations between Finland and Israel. I
wholeheartedly concur with your cordial words.
Finland and Israel are
united by shared values of Western democracy and a
political system founded on a free market economy and
social justice. Finland recognised the state of
Israel already in its early infancy, in March 1949.
Our bilateral relations have always been good.
Divergent views on international issues from time to
time have never influenced that fact. And so it
should be between friends.
Our Jewish compatriots
in Finland are another important factor that unites
us. Like the other Finns, they have played a part
– in both war and peace – in building and
defending the society that we share.
Economic cooperation
between our countries has been developing briskly in
recent years. Israel is an important trade partner
for us. Your free-trade agreements with the European
Union and the United States create a framework for
continuing dynamic growth in trade.
In a globalising
world, however, visible trade is only one part of the
economic interaction between our countries. A feature
that we both share is solid expertise in making
advanced technology – especially sophisticated
communications systems – a central growth
factor. To take just one example: Finland and Israel
boast cellular phone densities that are close to the
top of the world table. We are pleased that a Finnish
product is the market leader in this respect in
Israel.
I believe that now is
an opportune time for our experts to get together to
explore opportunities for cooperation between our
countries in the area of technology. We have a lot in
common, but it is the differences between our
approaches that could provide fruitful ground for a
systematic development of cooperation.
Cultural exchange
between us is lively, especially in the performing
arts. Finnish and Israeli artistes frequently visit
each other’s countries. As an opera-lover, I am
especially delighted that the New Israeli Opera will
be giving several guest performances at our festival
in Savonlinna next summer. In turn, our Savonlinna
company will visit Israel a year later to perform at
the International Opera Festival in Caesarea.
Mr. President, I
happen to know that you and Mrs. Weizman have your
home in Caesarea.
My wife and I will
certainly go to Savonlinna when your opera company
visits us, and I hope you will have an opportunity to
attend when the Finns perform practically on your
doorstep.
The Middle East is an important neighbour for Europe
and also for us Finns as Europeans. Its peace and
stability lie in our common interests. In the North,
the Baltic Sea once united the peoples living around
its shores much better than the primitive roads of
those days ever could. Now that the Cold War has
ended, the Baltic once again unites the countries
around it in an ever-closer network of interactions.
At the southern end of our continent, the
Mediterranean has been a vital artery for interaction
throughout history. The European Union’s
policies have the goal of making the Mediterranean
region one of peace, stability and prosperity in
which Israel has a natural place. Now that we hold
the Presidency of the European Union, we are working
hard to ensure progress towards this strategic goal.
Europe has in recent
times suffered conflicts in regions and countries
where extremists with nationalist, ethnic or
religious agendas have gained control of events. I
have seen the destruction that resulted. I was
personally drawn into the Kosovo peace process in May
and June and have just described those experiences to
your distinguished Israeli Council on Foreign
Relations. Although there is no direct point of
comparison between the crises in the Balkans and the
situation in the Middle East, it is obvious that
backwards-looking thinking can not offer solutions to
the political conflicts of this region, either.
Drawing borders as part of a permanent solution is
important, but an even more essential precondition
for real security is to be able to cross them.
President Urho Kekkonen said during the worst period
of the Cold War that security does not mean erecting
fences, but rather opening doors. I agree.
The premises on which
the European Union bases its approach to finding a
comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East are
well known. They were most recently confirmed at the
highest political level in Berlin last March and
again three months later in Cologne. A prerequisite
for peace is that collectively accepted principles
and agreements that have been entered into made are
respected and implemented. UN Security Council
Resolutions 242 and 338 remain the foundation for a
lasting and just peace settlement.
I hope that the talks
between Israel and the Palestinians will soon lead to
solutions that take the interests of both parties
into account. We believe that a permanent solution
can be achieved if the political will to overcome the
obstacles in the way is found. I have been very
pleased to note the determination with which Israel
is striving for peace with Syria and Lebanon. Your
new Government’s promise to withdraw from
Southern Lebanon is encouraging.
The achievement of
peace in the Middle East is something for which the
parties to the conflict bear primary responsibility.
All that others can do is offer their assistance. The
European Union is ready to help if the parties so
request.
I propose a toast to
the good health of President and Mrs. Weizman, to the
success of the people and State of Israel, to peace
in the Middle East and to good relations between our
countries now and in the future.
