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Eric S. Edelman, Ambassador designate (Finland) Statement before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Washington, DC, June 16, 1998

Mr. Chairman, members of the committee: Thank you for the honor and privilege of appearing before you today as the President's nominee for the post of Ambassador to Finland. I am grateful for and honored by the trust and confidence which President Clinton and Secretary Albright have reposed in me with this nomination. If confirmed, I look forward to working with the members of this committee to meet both the challenges and opportunities which the United States and Finland face in Europe and especially in the Nordic-Baltic region during the coming years.

Next year will mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Finland. Those relations, even during the most difficult hours of World War II and the Cold War have always been marked by warmth and friendship as well as vigorous cultural and economic interaction. Finland was seen by most Americans as an honest and stouthearted nation that paid its war debts and valiantly resisted Soviet aggression. Despite the fact that Finland found itself a co-belligerent of Germany when both countries were fighting the Soviet Union during World War II, the United States never declared war on Finland, largely in tribute to that nation's democratic government and past ties. Today, U.S.-Finnish relations are excellent and stand to become even better and closer in the years ahead.

Our shared values provide a firm foundation for a deepening partnership between our countries as Finland seeks to take advantage of new possibilities created by the end of the Cold War. Today, "neutrality," the concept which guided Finnish policy during most of the post-World War II period when its location as a neighbor of the Soviet Union created special constraints, has lost its relevance to Europe's new security architecture. President Ahtisaari has often characterized Finland's foreign and security policy as one of non-alignment, independent territorial defense, and close cooperation with NATO through the Partnership for Peace and the Euroatlantic Partnership Council. Finland has seized on other new opportunities to underline and consolidate its unequivocal participation in the community of western democracies. It has become an active member of the European Union (EU), has qualified for the European Monetary Union, and will assume the Presidency of the EU for the second half of 1999.

The alacrity with which Finland has sought to pursue new possibilities is the result of Finland's historical experience as well as the real difficulties that resulted from the Cold War's conclusion. The Soviet Union's disintegration created new options for Finland, but the collapse of Finnish trade with the East produced the deepest economic downturn in Finland's history and the worst depression experienced by any OECD country since 1945, with unemployment reaching 20%. Led by a dynamic, high-tech sector, Finland's economy has begun to turn around and is experiencing vigorous growth.

Today, the United States and Finland share many views about the prospects for a peaceful and prosperous Europe in the next century. Finland's traditional bonds to its Nordic partners and its growing ties to the Baltic states have given it a special interest in the successful development of that region's security and its links to the West. A long and difficult history with Russia has made Finnish leaders particularly sensitive to the importance of supporting Russian democracy and successfully integrating Russia into Europe's economic and security structures. The Finnish-inspired "Northern Dimension" initiative -- to develop increased cooperation between Russia and the European Union in this region -- has much in common with the U.S. approach.

Finland continues to be active, as it has been for many years, in international peacekeeping activities. Finnish troops are currently participating in SFOR in Bosnia, in UNPREDEP in Macedonia, as well as in United Nations peacekeeping operations in Lebanon and Cyprus. Finland has indicated its desire to work with other Partner countries and NATO to design exercises to enhance peacekeeping capabilities in Europe.

U.S.-Finnish bilateral security cooperation has grown apace. In 1992, the Finnish Government elected to modernize its Air Force by purchasing 64 U.S.-manufactured F-18 Hornet aircraft. That modernization program is about half complete and has been a model of mutually beneficial politico-military cooperation. Finland will, in the near future, procure new transport helicopters. If an American firm is successful in bidding for this contract it would open the prospect for further defense cooperation.

The increasing dynamism of the Nordic-Baltic regional economy holds the promise of increased U.S.-Finnish trade. Finland is on the cutting edge of the information revolution. It is one of the most "wired" societies in the world with the highest per capita penetration of the Internet of any country, and Finnish companies are playing a key role in the global cellular telephone industry. Finland continues to be a good market for U.S. exports, including the U.S. entertainment industry. I regard business advocacy as one of an ambassador's most important responsibilities, and, if confirmed, I plan to pursue commercial opportunities vigorously.

The United States and Finland, however, are linked by more than strategic and commercial interests. As I indicated earlier they are tied together by common beliefs and values. Throughout its history as an independent country Finland has never wavered from its commitment to democracy and decency. Shared values have underpinned a vibrant cultural nexus between the U.S. and Finland. The recently concluded exhibition devoted to Finnish architect Alvar Aalto at the Museum of Modern Art in New York reminds us of the impact of his work -- which first came to the attention of Americans at the 1939 World's Fair in New York -- on modern design. Today, there is more interchange than ever and Finns are making their mark, among other places, in American concert halls and hockey arenas. More and more Americans are traveling to Helsinki, which the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune report is increasingly becoming a popular tourist destination. Increased contact will clearly continue to benefit and enrich both countries.

Before joining the Foreign Service, my graduate work in diplomatic history focused on U.S.-Soviet relations and Western Europe. I have concentrated, during my 18-year Foreign Service career on European issues at the State Department and the Pentagon in Washington. I have served overseas at our embassies in Moscow and Prague. In my most recent assignments I have been directly engaged in working on European security architecture including the NATO-Russia Founding Act and the enlargement of NATO. During the course of my past assignments I have visited Helsinki several times and have had the opportunity to work with some of Finland's world-class diplomats. If confirmed, I will strive to work with you to maintain the tradition of outstanding bilateral relations that many distinguished career and non-career ambassadors to Finland have done so much to promote. Thank you very much for the opportunity to be with you today.

[End of Document]

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