Mr. President, Tervetuloa Uzbekistaniin!
Welcome to our sunny Tashkent, Mr. President, a warm contrast to Astana, which is known as one of the coldest capitals in the world.
Mr. President, it is a great honor and a true pleasure to welcome you to the International Institute for Central Asia. As you may know, our Institute was established in 2021 at the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, with the aim of strengthening regional cooperation and fostering people-to-people ties across Central Asia.
I know it has become your tradition to meet with the research and policy community during your visits abroad. For us, I must note that when you arrived and signed our guest book on the first floor, you became the first foreign head of state to visit our Institute. And I can assure you, this is a moment we will long remember.
Dear guests, as we all know, Helsinki has long stood as a hub of international mediation and the rule of law. I recently watched the documentary “The Helsinki Effect”, and I was truly impressed by how it highlights Finland’s active role in fostering dialogue and cooperation on the global stage. In these terms, our countries are very much on the same page, as we too strive for regional stability.
President Stubb, I have long admired your approach to values-based realism in foreign policy — an approach that blends principles with practicality. In a world where international affairs grow more complex by the day, such a philosophy stands out as both thoughtful and essential.
I can confidently say that your visit to Uzbekistan is truly historic, coinciding with several significant events. It comes at a special moment, as we host the UNESCO General Conference for the first time in forty years outside of Paris, here in the ancient city of Samarkand — our cultural heart and the crossroads of civilizations. It is also symbolic that the last visit by a Finnish President to Uzbekistan was in 1992, just as our country was taking its first steps as an independent state. That year, our country joined the Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe, which Finland is currently chairing.
Your visit also precedes an important event for Central Asia. In just a few weeks, Tashkent will host the seventh C5 Summit under Uzbekistan’s Chairmanship.
Mr. President, today’s roundtable brings together Uzbekistan’s leading think tanks. Our conversation will cover a wide range of issues — from developments in Central Asia and Afghanistan to Uzbekistan’s reform agenda, cooperation with the Nordic Council, and the evolving C5+ formats. We also look forward to your insights on Finland’s deepening role within Europe and the growing importance of the Nordic region in global affairs.
Mr. President, before I conclude, I would like to acknowledge your long-standing leadership in peacebuilding. As former Chair of the Board of the Crisis Management Initiative, you have been closely associated with Finland’s global reputation for mediation and dialogue. We are now working closely with CMI and other partners to establish the first-ever Central Asia – Nordic Council Think Tank Forum, which we plan to host here in Tashkent this November.
I am confident that the signing of today’s first-of-its-kind MoU will mark the beginning of a lasting and meaningful dialogue between the think tanks of our regions. I have also had the opportunity to meet several times with representatives of the CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Foundation, including CEO Dr. Janne Taalas, and I can say firsthand that this has been a long and rewarding journey.
In Finland, you have a saying: “Hiljaa hyvä tulee” (Hilyaa huva tuly) — slowly, good things come. I believe this is especially true when building partnerships and dialogue across regions.
Welcome once again, Mr. President. We are pleased to have you with us, and I will now pass the floor over to you.
