Martti Ahtisaari
Martti Ahtisaari
Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari; born 23 June 1937) is a Finnish politician, the tenth President of Finland, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and United Nations diplomat and mediator, noted for his international peace work...
NationalityFinnish
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth23 June 1937
CityVyborg, Finland
CountryFinland
became borders caused country fellow finland great home hundred left politics power refugees several soviet thousand town
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.
appeal concerned entering exercise parties restraint sensitive talks utmost
As the talks are entering a sensitive phase, I appeal to all parties concerned to exercise utmost restraint on the ground.
government none organize
It is up to the government how they organize themselves. It's none of my business.
eat food good home
Normally, I like to eat at home. We don't go out much. The food at home is so good.
choice excellent extremely good
It's an excellent choice ... for an organization that does extremely good work.
anybody former means mere state
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.
accept excuses interests power stop war
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.
caused conflicts human wars
Wars and conflicts are not inevitable. They are caused by human beings.
eastern household moved settling
With my mother, I moved from one household to another before settling in the eastern part of Finland, in the city of Kuopio.
given peace people responsibility
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.
european turkey
We are convinced that Turkey would be a useful member of the European Union.
hard-work done needs
There is a lot of hard work that needs to be done
nice party reality
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.
minorities improvement protection
There are certain standards, like the protection of minorities and the improvement in their lives that have to be improved now.