President Drnovšek concludes official visit to Finland
Helsinki, 02/26/2004 | press release
On the second day of his official visit to Finland, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Janez Drnovšek, attended the Scientific Forum, arranged jointly by Slovenia and Finland on the occasion of his visit to the capital, Helsinki.
The purpose of the forum was to exchange experiences and views on the broad roles of knowledge and science, and on the competitiveness of smaller states. Last year, Finland continued its rapid economic development and maintained a level of economic growth higher than that in the rest of the European Union. The World Bank sees Finland as the country with the most advanced information society and the most competitive economy in the world, which is why the Finnish experience is especially valuable for Slovenia.
At the forum, which was also attended by Dr Slavko Gaber, Minister of Education, Science and Sport, and Dr Dimitrij Rupel, Minister of Foreign Affairs, President Drnovšek described the Finnish level of development as extraordinary. "I remember my first visit to Finland in 1992, when your country was suffering an economic crisis and the unemployment rate was extremely high," he said. He explained that the reasons for that crisis were similar to those that had existed in Slovenia. Finland had lost important markets in the then Soviet Union, and Slovenia suffered a similar fate vis-a-vis the former Yugoslavia. Slovenia also had to change its system, adopt new legislation, introduce a market economy, and simultaneously adapt its structures and processes to EU requirements. "Slovenia’s membership of the European Union is imminent, another chapter closes and a new one starts," President Drnovšek stated. He added: "We are aware that the European Union means both partnership and competition. Nevertheless, this type of competition is different, as there is more synergy, more cooperation in trying to find common paths. It is in our country’s interest to establish the best possible foundations for the future, which is why we have initiated discussions on the future of Slovenia, aimed at jointly exploring new possibilities for improving the competitiveness of our economy and our society, while maintaining the necessary social balance. Talks have also been held on the basic values of our society. The Finnish example can help us find some answers to our questions and verify the correctness of our goals, methods and direction. Slovenia is considered to be a relatively successful country, but we would like to draw even closer to the most successful countries in the world. This is why we are very interested in your model of linking scientific and educational institutions, which triggered such astonishing technological development. We, too, wish to improve the links between scientific and educational establishments and the business sector, and I firmly believe that today’s forum will stimulate an exchange of opinions between experts, businessmen and representatives of the two governments.”
After the conclusion of the Scientific Forum, the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Finland, Mr Paavo Lipponen, met with the president. Dr Drnovšek's host noted at the outset that he recalled with great affection his visit to Slovenia in his capacity of Finnish prime minister and he commended Slovenia for the stability and development it had achieved in the past decade. He stressed that Finland looked with great expectancy to forthcoming cooperation between the two countries in the European Union, adding that the Slovene and Finnish parliaments boasted a good level of cooperation. If smaller-sized EU members worked well together they could play an extremely important role, according to the Speaker of the Finnish parliament, who also pointed to the importance of cultural cooperation that enabled the countries to increase familiarity with their respective cultures. In this respect, he mentioned the Slovene architect, Jože Plečnik, who left his mark in many countries and is considered an architectural 'giant' of his time.
The Slovene president assessed his visit to Finland as extremely successful, and praised the status of bilateral relations at every level. He believed that the opening of the Finnish Embassy in Slovenia would assist in the development of the current, relatively modest level of economic cooperation. Mr Lipponen, who was for several years Dr Drnovšek’s counterpart when they were both prime ministers, discussed what he believed drove the success of the Finnish model. He said that the key to success was in guaranteeing the possibility of education for every member of the society, the basis for which was political consensus on basic societal issues.
At the conclusion of his visit to Finland, the Slovene president, together with his Finnish counterpart, Ms Tarja Halonen, opened an exhibition in the Helsinki Post Museum on facets of 20th century Slovene history, entitled “Over The Hill is Just Like Here”. In his address to those present, President Drnovšek offered his gratitude for Finland's hospitality during his visit and for the warm welcome he and his delegation had received. He invited President Halonen to visit Slovenia at her earliest convenience, so that the two countries could continue their friendly dialogue and fruitful cooperation. President Drnovšek expressed his firm belief that both countries would - through cooperation, and each in its individual way - make a valuable contribution to the development of the European Union. Concluding his address, he added: “This exhibition of the 20th century history of the Slovenes speaks about who we are and where we stand. Its installation in the heart of Helsinki will undoubtedly contribute to an even greater familiarity with Slovenia and its inhabitants.”