Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
It is clear a Palestinian state is needed.
There is a lot of hard work that needs to be done
Luck has a lot to do with how your life develops.
Nuclear power is not a miracle key for the future.
Women receive easily the most difficult assignments.
If the political will is there, we can solve anything.
We are a model country where gender equality is concerned.
Everybody has to look after their own economy and follow the rules.
Wars and conflicts are not inevitable. They are caused by human beings.
We are convinced that Turkey would be a useful member of the European Union.
Normally, I like to eat at home. We don't go out much. The food at home is so good.
Perhaps it's a curse, but when you are a Lutheran, you have a sense of responsibility.
I have no superhuman powers. If people don't want to make peace, there is nothing I can do.
It's very important to be able to act properly. You need financing, and you never have enough.
It is positive that the change in Finland means a rush in the elections and not in the streets.
I know what it's like when you are a refugee, living on the mercy of others and having to adjust.
If one has problems with immigrant communities in Europe, that should not be used against Turkey.
To protect women in times of war, we must first make sure women receive equal rights in times of peace.
You need to carry out very careful pre-feasibility and feasibility studies before you enter any crisis situation.
Peace is a question of will. All conflicts can be settled, and there are no excuses for allowing them to become eternal.
With my mother, I moved from one household to another before settling in the eastern part of Finland, in the city of Kuopio.
There are certain standards, like the protection of minorities and the improvement in their lives that have to be improved now.
I'm one of those people who, as long as I am still healthy and my thoughts are more or less clear, I don't think I can retire entirely.
Under-representation of women and other inequality among researchers is a problem that will not solve itself as women acquire competence.
Religions themselves are... peace-loving. They can also be a constructive force in peace-building, and this also applies to the Middle East.
Finland, and all the other European countries, we are too dependent on imported energy. We should be using a broader variety of energy resources.
I'm concerned when certain movements or countries have been isolated from the international dialogue because then you have no way of influencing them.
European citizens expect that there will be also a fair system inside the European Union and in the euro, and that's why we have to have quite hard discipline.
The mere fact that I'm former head of state and former under-secretary in the U.N. system, it means that I can get in touch with anybody in the world, in theory.
I think it's a disgrace for the international community that we have allowed so many conflicts to become frozen, and we are not making a serious effort to solve them.
You have to be rather straightforward with your clients. You can't tell the parties only nice things. This is not an entertainment show; it's not reality television either.
There are always interests that are furthered by war. Therefore, those who have power and influence can also stop them... we should not accept any excuses from those in power.
The Finland of the 21st century can thrive only if women of learning - in common with their male counterparts - are guaranteed the opportunity to use their creative potential to the full.
The views of the Contact Group member-states must be taken seriously, as well as the guidelines set out in their document on Kosovo, which clearly says that the province should not be divided.
The goal of the EU is to form a region of freedom, security and justice. Freedom in this connection cannot be just the freedom of the strong, but it must be combined with fraternity and equality.
Like several hundred thousand fellow Karelians, we became refugees in our own country as great power politics caused the borders of Finland to be redrawn and left my home town as part of the Soviet Union.
Mediators do not choose the conflicts they became involved in, but the parties to the conflict choose the mediator. Their participation as intermediaries is based on the trust of all the conflicting parties.
The ability of the countries within the region to cooperate and establish good-neighborly relations ... will be an important criterion for evaluating their prospects of full integration with the European Union.
The only people that can make peace are the parties to the conflict, and just as they are responsible for the conflict and its consequences, so should they be given responsibility and recognition for the peace.
It is people who are the objects of globalization and at the same time its subjects. What also follows logically from this is that globalization is not a law of nature, but rather a process set in train by people.
No country's policies are eternal; they do vary. People are growing old, and a new generation is coming to power. In a year's time, a government can look different. You can't influence them if you don't talk to them.
The task of the mediator is to help the parties to open difficult issues and nudge them forward in the peace process. The mediator's role combines those of a ship's pilot, consulting medical doctor, midwife and teacher.
All conflicts can be resolved. Wars and conflicts are not inevitable. They are caused by human beings. There are always interests that are furthered by war. Therefore those who have power and influence can also stop them. Peace is a question of will.
In the last year of my presidency, I travelled 200 days out of 365. You have to lead a very disciplined life. To be able to do that, I need a lot of sleep. But I have no problems sleeping. On long days, I can easily take a nap for 20 minutes in the afternoon.
I saw an advertisement to work for a Swedish institute in Karachi in Pakistan. I had just been offered a permanent assignment, teaching in Oulu. But I felt, 'My God, I am not going to stay here forever.' You know why? Because I was following international events.
The origins of my career as a peace mediator can be found from my childhood years. I was born in the city of Viipuri, then still part of Finland. We lost Viipuri when the Soviet Union attacked my country. Along with 400,000 fellow Karelians, I became an eternally displaced person in the rest of Finland.