It is my pleasure to
welcome you to the Presidential Palace for this
occasion, which is also the starting shot for the
Foreign Ministers' Conference on the Northern
Dimension which will be held tomorrow.
For many reasons the
Northern Dimension has been an especially important
project for Finland since we presented the idea a few
years ago. The project has been resolutely developed
both within the European Union and in the partner
countries. We have been favourably surprised by the
interest which has been shown in the Northern
Dimension. There is no longer any cause to speak of
the Northern Dimension as Finland's initiative but as
a concept which has become an integral part of
cooperation between the enlarging EU and the partner
countries.
As we all know, civil
societies are not created overnight. Making the rule
of law and democracy - not to mention the market
economy - part of a society generally takes years, if
not decades. Developing broad European security and
economic prosperity requires patience and long-term
efforts.
A little less than 25
years ago the Final Act of the Conference on Security
and Cooperation in Europe was signed at Finlandia
Hall, where tomorrow's conference will take place.
Hardly anyone at that time could have imagined what
the European security and cooperation process would
look like in a few decades. The main thing was to
make a commitment to common objectives and
principles. The results could be evaluated later.
The results of the
Northern Dimension will also have to be evaluated
over the long run. The Northern Dimension has already
helped the Union to take a more comprehensive
approach to issues involving Northern Europe. A key
observation at this stage is that the only way to
respond to the challenges and opportunities of
Northern Europe is through close and systematic
cooperation between the enlarging EU and the partner
countries, including Russia. One key objective is to
deepen partnership between the enlarging Union and
Russia in a way which can also withstand cyclic
changes. I would like to stress here that I am very
concerned about the situation in the northern
Caucasus.
The Northern Dimension
has also created a new dynamics in inter-regional
cooperation in the Baltic and Barents regions. I
consider this an extremely important development and
have noted with satisfaction that the regional level
is strongly represented in many countries' conference
delegations. As European integration deepens and the
European Union enlarges, the significance of regional
cooperation and direct contacts in the Baltic region
will continue to grow. We are all quite aware of the
challenges facing us in Kaliningrad, for example.
The Foreign Ministers'
Conference on the Northern Dimension is a very
important occasion, because it offers an opportunity
for all the EU countries and the partner countries to
discuss Northern Europe's challenges, concerns and
opportunities on an equal footing. We hope that the
conference will give the Northern Dimension new
content and provide new ideas for the further
development of the project.
I would like to
propose a toast in your honour and to the success of
Northern Europe.
