Dear Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen!

The first state visit of the President of the Republic of Hungary takes him to the Republic of Estonia, and this is the reflection of the entire modern Europe, the entire changed world, and something more, which I hold especially dear: our loyalty to the basic values of our kindred peoples. The latter seems to belong to the realm of religion, ethics, or culture, which need not interest us if we were tradesmen. And yet this is an illusory conclusion. Estonia's and Hungary's joint aspirations towards the European Union also speak of our loyalty to the basic values - of Hungary's will to remain Hungary and become even more Hungary, and Estonia's will to remain Estonia and become even more Estonia. Unfortunately, we discuss the ends less often than the means. Although with a somewhat different accent, I would like to say the same about NATO, where Hungary already is a member, and where Estonia wants to become a member: also here, we are guided by the wish to preserve our identity, to protect our independence with precious security. This is Europe today: the Danube flows into the Baltic Sea, the shores of the Pärnu Bay and Balaton meet. But common interests outweigh common contentions in all Europe. For example, let us consider the strong axis of Germany and France, which has erased the memory of their common battlefields. Finding and broadening of possibilities of co-operation is indeed the content of European politics. And it is only on the background of this ultimate goal that we can, in a completely new light, value the meaning of the loyalty of kindred peoples to Hungary and Estonia, but also to Finland: it is no longer a romanticised vision of the past, but a common future; and in the name of this future, the minds and hearts of two nations are working in the same rhythm. It is our heart, not our muscles, that nourishes our will. Both our nations appreciate your decision to make your first state visit to the Republic of Estonia.

Mr. President, during your stay in Estonia, you will sense the respect, cordiality, and interest that Estonians feel towards Hungary. These feelings have deep roots. At the significant moments of the time of the Estonians' national self-determination we could feel the interest and sympathy of Hungarians. Our cultural history remembers that in 1896, Pal Hunfalvy participated in the first General Song Festival of Estonia, and wrote a travel article about it. We also remember that Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, the author of the Estonian epic ''Kalevipoeg'', was elected an honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Mihkel Veske, one of the founders of the Estonian comparative linguistics, visited Hungary in 1885-1886, and already then translated Petőfi's poetry into Estonian. I am not going to let myself get caught in reciting tens and hundreds of fascinating facts, culminating with our admiration and agony when we followed the events of Hungary's uprising against totalitarianism in 1956. Let me just add that Hungary's example lead to the emergence of one of our schoolchildren's resistance organisations that defied the oppressors even in prison camps, and has come down to the present day: one of its members, Enn Tarto, is a Member of Parliament today.

Mr. President, our meeting has a dimension that reaches even farther to the past. The third World Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples in Helsinki yesterday emphasised once again the need to hold on to our roots in our globalising time, and thus to protect the diversity of the world. The political standing of Hungary, Finland, and Estonia in the world of the turn of the century gives us the opportunity to support smaller Finno-Ugric nations in their effort to preserve and cultivate their identity. I hope that the permanent body established for this purpose in Tartu on 9 August, the day that was proclaimed the Day of Indigenous Peoples by the United Nations, will justify our hopes.

In order to promote the Finno-Ugric co-operation, Hungary has established an annual President's Award. The Finns have initiated the Castrén Society Award. Obviously, it is time for Estonia to follow suit.

The other dimension of our meeting, Mr. President, is integration into global structures. Estonia highly appreciates the statements supporting the continuous enlargement of NATO coming from Hungary, a full NATO member. Hungary's experience after World War II is the historical background that underpins your resolve. This path is the path of the democratic renewal of Europe, the path of humanist hope. Ten years ago, East and West switched roles: so far, the Soviet Union had by means of both force and ideology represented the position that communism is the only regime acceptable to the peoples of the world. Ten years ago, Europe declared that for Europe, the only acceptable regime is democracy. For today's world, NATO embodies democracy.

Mr. President, we are attentively and with sympathy following Hungary's statements concerning another institutional issue - the enlargement of the European Union. It is important to keep up the speed of the enlargement process. The countries that have carried out radical reforms must meet the fair appreciation of the European Union. Only this will ensure the trustworthiness of the European Union enlargement for the people.

We do not have two Europes, one being complete and having genuine value, while the other is still learning to become Europe. There is one integral body of Europe, which at one time was cut in two. But Churchill's speech about the iron curtain was not meant as a compliment to the curtain, but as an appeal to remove the curtain from Europe.

It was a long-lasting process. But today, we must not allow another period of curtains, even if they are no longer made of iron, but of softer substance. This is the question of the fate of entire Europe. Ladies and gentlemen, I suppose you can hear Nice talking now - as this is where I just came from - but it is also my conviction that your state visit, dear Mr. President, will with significant dignity conclude the year that has been indeed busy in the relations of our two countries. The official re-opening of the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary in Tallinn, the close co-operation of our Prime Ministers, the meeting of the main negotiators of the ''Luxembourg group'' in Budapest yesterday, and the visits to Estonia of the Hungarian Prime Minister, as well as the Ministers of agriculture, defence, and justice, give us reason to be content. At the same time, there are many possibilities to intensify economic and trade relations. Estonia is looking for new markets, and we consider the Hungarian market to be an important one. We are also interested in increasing the volume of Hungary's investments to Estonia, and here Estonia's liberal economic policy should serve as a catalyst.

Hungary's positions concerning the enlargement of the European Union are close to ours, and I think that on our negotiations, we have discovered several opportunities for common purposeful action.

Mr. President, dear Hungarian friends, dear fellow countrymen,

Allow me, President Mádl, in the name of the Republic of Estonia, in the name of everybody gathered here today, and in the name of my spouse and myself, to wish you happiness and success! Let us raise our glasses to the health of the President of Hungary, and to the happiness and prosperity of the Republic of Hungary!

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