LUNCHEON
FOR PRIME MINISTER VLADIMIR PUTIN OF THE RUSSIAN
FEDERATION AND THE OTHER EU-RUSSIA SUMMIT
PARTICIPANTS AND DELEGATIONS
AT THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE ON 22.10.1999
It gives me pleasure
to welcome representatives of both sides at the
summit between the European Union and the Russian
Federation to this Presidential Palace, which has
also been an Imperial residence during our shared
history.
Finland has often been
able to serve as the host country for summit
meetings. Our role has sometimes been limited to
providing the "electricity and atmosphere"-
so to speak - but there have also been occasions when
we have been able to offer a great deal more than
good services.
I am especially
pleased that the fourth in a series of summits
between the European Union and Russia is taking place
in Finland and that here in Helsinki today Russia has
announced her own strategy in relation to the
European Union. This I regard as one of the
highlights of our turn at the helm of the Union. It
is in line with our Presidency’s priorities, in
which developing relations with Russia ranks very
high.
We have made the
promotion of the Union’s policy and thinking on
Russia one of the goals of our Presidency. In line
with that we have sought from the very beginning to
increase awareness of the EU on the part of the
Russians as well. With the accession of Finland, the
EU and Russia became neighbours with a common border.
The shortest route from Russia to the rest of Europe
nowadays runs through Finland. We are proud of the
fact that the border crossing points between Finland
and Russia are the most efficient on all of
Russia’s frontiers. What is so far the only
point of physical contact between the European Union
and Russia is a living example of what we have termed
"positive interdependence" in our Northern
Dimension initiative. The EU and Russia are
neighbours and partners and cooperation between them
across a broad front is only just beginning.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As a St. Petersburger,
Prime Minister Putin knows the dynamics of Finland
and the Baltic Sea region. We are proud of the
colossal development that has taken place in northern
Europe and which will lead to Poland, Lithuania,
Latvia and Estonia joining the EU within a decade.
From the perspective of Russia, the north-west is the
direction where cooperation and economic interaction
are growing and which gains stability from the EU.
Now let me propose a
toast to the good health of our esteemed guests.
