Välisminister Urmas Paeti sõnavõtt Norra ja Eesti (Läti, Leedu) diplomaatiliste suhete taastamise 20. aastapäeva puhul Oslos (inglise keeles)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Paet on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the restoration of Norway’s diplomatic relations with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Oslo, 8th of June 2011

Kjære Norske venner (Dear Norwegian friends),
Dear colleagues,

Takk for sist, Jonas and let me first thank you for bringing us together on this very special occasion. After all, what greater joy is there for a small country than the freedom it fought for and longed for over the course of centuries?

I am delighted that we can share this happiness with you, as this shows that we can truly rejoice over each other’s success. It means we are open to affinity, which lives in the hearts of our people.

I must say that Norway is a country that has grown very close to the hearts of Estonians - a country that is known to us not only for its mountains and fjords, its top skiers, salmon and oil, but also as a stronghold of democratic values and freedom. The history books of both Estonia and Norway speak volumes - chapter after chapter about our efforts towards freedom and independence. This ultimate goal has not been easy to gain for either of us.

I believe this historic background forms the very core of our mutual understanding and shared values, underpinning the diplomatic relations between Estonia and Norway that were established 90 years ago – in February 1921 and restored in August 1991.

By today, our intense and purposeful co-operation has spread to all areas of life, like tourism, trade, investments, or culture with its many facets. It was thanks to the late Norwegian Ambassador to Estonia, Mr. Stein Vegard Hagen, that tradition of Norwegian Days in Estonia was initiated a couple of years ago. I would like to highlight that this has been a very welcome initiative, since interest towards Norwegian music, literature, handicraft, different holiday possibilities like alpine skiing and mountain climbing, and even Norwegian food is extremely high among Estonians.

Already over 70 years ago a popular Estonian writer, Friedebert Tuglas, wrote in his “Chronicle of a Norwegian travel” about the wonders of Norway and concluded that it is “not in his power to praise the country’s beauty well enough”. The Estonians who visit Norway today are rendered just as speechless as our renowned author.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

No matter how different the political choices that individual countries in the Nordic-Baltic region have made, the true spirit of co-operation has never left us. Although Norway has chosen to stay outside of the European Union, in practice you have implemented almost the whole acquis and joined the Schengen zone. You also continue to assist the members of the European Union’s last two enlargement rounds through the EEA and Norwegian financial mechanisms. Based on that, Norway could be regarded as even more European than some of the actual member states, as the European spirit of co-operation and enlarging the zone of prosperity is something that you actively pursue and contribute to.

When our late President Lennart Meri received the Norwegian royal couple in Tallinn 13 years ago during their first visit to Estonia, he said that “Europe will remain united as long as it understands that no country is too small and no country is too distant to belong to the common Trans-Atlantic security structure.”

Thanks to your support, our Norwegian allies, Estonia is no longer in a position to just reiterate this idea, but we can and we do actively promote the open door policy of NATO. We are also thankful for the Norway’s contribution to NATO’s Baltic air-policing mission. Moreover, we share the responsibility for greater security in Afghanistan, where our soldiers serve side-by-side in the fight against global terrorism and for the better future of Afghan people.

Dear Jonas,

You said in your recent address to the Storting that “the upheavals and popular uprisings of the Arab spring are readily recognisable to European countries, as similar events in Europe led them to become the democratic societies they are today". This is a very accurate notion indeed.

During the past two decades Estonia has been able to transform itself from backwardness to a democratic and open society with modern, cutting-edge technology that forms the core of our lifestyle today. And we have gained valuable transition experience that is worth sharing with countries and peoples with similar aims and desires. Today we are in a position that enables us to contribute and give our fair share to the development of the countries in the European Union’s Eastern Neighbourhood. I hope that we can extend this co-operation towards the Southern neighbourhood as well.

This is also what Nordic-Baltic co-operation should increasingly aim for in the future. This informal partnership of like-minded countries is something quite unique on the world scale, encompassing a number of co-operation opportunities that would not only benefit the countries around the Baltic Sea but a much larger area.

Twenty years after our restored freedom, Estonia has reinstated its position in Europe and in the world. After joining the euro zone, we have become the most integrated country in Northern Europe. But, we never could have pulled it off so rapidly without the help and assistance of our Nordic neighbours, and we are thankful for that.

Takk skal du ha, Norge!