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FINNISH PRESIDENT IN TBILISI
By Christina Tashkevich
The Messenger, Georgia
Sept 29 2005
Rustaveli Avenue on Wednesday adorned with Finnish and Georgian flags;
the road was closed as President Tarja Halonen arrived at the Tbilisi
Marriott Georgia's ambitions to join the European Union and the role
of the EU in the settlement of conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia
were on the top of the agenda during the first visit of Finland's
head of state to Tbilisi.
The President of Finland Tarja Halonen arrived in Tbilisi on Wednesday
for a two-day visit that included a meeting with Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili.
Saakashvili once again noted that Georgia is trying diligently to
settle the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia peacefully.
At a briefing in Parliament with the Finnish president on Wednesday,
he said that Georgia does not want upheaval at a time when it "needs
economic development."
Saakashvili said his government is ready to work together with Russia,
the United States and the countries of the European Union in settling
the conflicts.
"I hope that during consultations together with the Russian Federation
we are able to create such mechanisms to avoid further problems,"
Saakashvili said.
President Halonen said at the briefing that Finland is well informed
about the current state of the conflicts in Georgia and that Georgia
can rely on her country's support in this issue.
She called on sides to look for mechanisms that can resolve the
conflicts in a peaceful way. "Peaceful settlement is the most
sustainable solution," she said.
Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Salome Zourabichvili noted on
Wednesday that Finland will receive the EU presidency in the second
half of 2006. "This will be the time when we will enter into the
fulfillment phase of the action plan and when the issue of further
EU expansion will be raised," she said.
The Georgian media reports that also on the agenda during Halonen's
visit were prospects for Finnish businesses investing in Georgia.
Aleksandre Rondeli, the president of the Georgian Foundation for
Strategic and International Studies, praised Finland as an "exemplary
country" and its president as "a famous politician who knows what's
going on in the region."
President Halonen is on a tour of the Caucasus countries spanning
the dates September 26-30. She arrived in Tbilisi on Wednesday from
Armenia and after Georgia will move on to Azerbaijan, together with
her husband, doctor Pentti Arajarvi.
The Helsinki daily Helsingin Sanomat reported this week that this is
not Halonen's first visit to the Caucasus. She visited Georgia in 1980
and Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1996 as Finland's Minister for Foreign
Affairs, when she contributed to negotiations on the Nagorno Karabagh
conflict. However, it is the first visit of a Finnish president to
Georgia after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
"The EU is heavily involved in the development of the three
countries. Georgia is especially keen to develop its ties with the
West, and all three are seen as likely to join the E.U. at some time
in the future," the newspaper wrote on September 26.
Halonen's visit comes less than two months after a delegation of the
Finnish Border Department headed by department chief Jaakko Smolander
arrived in Georgia. During the delegation's three-day stay in early
August, a joint declaration on cooperation was signed between the
two country's boarder guards and the Finnish representatives toured
Georgia's northern frontier with Russia.
During her visit to Georgia President Halonen also met with the
Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli and Speaker of Parliament
Nino Burjanadze.
By Christina Tashkevich
The Messenger, Georgia
Sept 29 2005
Rustaveli Avenue on Wednesday adorned with Finnish and Georgian flags;
the road was closed as President Tarja Halonen arrived at the Tbilisi
Marriott Georgia's ambitions to join the European Union and the role
of the EU in the settlement of conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia
were on the top of the agenda during the first visit of Finland's
head of state to Tbilisi.
The President of Finland Tarja Halonen arrived in Tbilisi on Wednesday
for a two-day visit that included a meeting with Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili.
Saakashvili once again noted that Georgia is trying diligently to
settle the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia peacefully.
At a briefing in Parliament with the Finnish president on Wednesday,
he said that Georgia does not want upheaval at a time when it "needs
economic development."
Saakashvili said his government is ready to work together with Russia,
the United States and the countries of the European Union in settling
the conflicts.
"I hope that during consultations together with the Russian Federation
we are able to create such mechanisms to avoid further problems,"
Saakashvili said.
President Halonen said at the briefing that Finland is well informed
about the current state of the conflicts in Georgia and that Georgia
can rely on her country's support in this issue.
She called on sides to look for mechanisms that can resolve the
conflicts in a peaceful way. "Peaceful settlement is the most
sustainable solution," she said.
Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Salome Zourabichvili noted on
Wednesday that Finland will receive the EU presidency in the second
half of 2006. "This will be the time when we will enter into the
fulfillment phase of the action plan and when the issue of further
EU expansion will be raised," she said.
The Georgian media reports that also on the agenda during Halonen's
visit were prospects for Finnish businesses investing in Georgia.
Aleksandre Rondeli, the president of the Georgian Foundation for
Strategic and International Studies, praised Finland as an "exemplary
country" and its president as "a famous politician who knows what's
going on in the region."
President Halonen is on a tour of the Caucasus countries spanning
the dates September 26-30. She arrived in Tbilisi on Wednesday from
Armenia and after Georgia will move on to Azerbaijan, together with
her husband, doctor Pentti Arajarvi.
The Helsinki daily Helsingin Sanomat reported this week that this is
not Halonen's first visit to the Caucasus. She visited Georgia in 1980
and Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1996 as Finland's Minister for Foreign
Affairs, when she contributed to negotiations on the Nagorno Karabagh
conflict. However, it is the first visit of a Finnish president to
Georgia after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
"The EU is heavily involved in the development of the three
countries. Georgia is especially keen to develop its ties with the
West, and all three are seen as likely to join the E.U. at some time
in the future," the newspaper wrote on September 26.
Halonen's visit comes less than two months after a delegation of the
Finnish Border Department headed by department chief Jaakko Smolander
arrived in Georgia. During the delegation's three-day stay in early
August, a joint declaration on cooperation was signed between the
two country's boarder guards and the Finnish representatives toured
Georgia's northern frontier with Russia.
During her visit to Georgia President Halonen also met with the
Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli and Speaker of Parliament
Nino Burjanadze.