LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Tarja Halonen: Countries
built 645 days ago
Halonen said that during his last visit to China he reached extensive consensuses with Chinese leaders concerning deepening Finland-China relations. Currently the two countries have closer relations and fruitful cooperation. Finland appreciates the important role China plays in international affairs and will adhere to the one-China policy and further develop the friendly cooperation between the two countries.
Source:
Halonen has a fine record as foreign minister for the last six years, and especially during the six months when Finland did a wonderful job as the host country for the EU. She has always championed such causes as the rights for sexual minorities, the refugees and other disadvantaged groups.
Source:
The runoff became necessary when Halonen earned only 46 percent of the first round vote, while Niinisto won 24 percent, according to the Associated Press. Halonen’s victory in the second round was by such a slim margin that she would not accept her win with 80 percent of the vote counted and her opponent’s concession, reports Reuters. According to the AP, Halonen won 51.8 percent of the runoff vote and Niinisto earned 48.2 percent, with 77 percent of the country’s eligible voters voting.
Source:
Halonen thinks that society should take into account the possibility of ‘social shopping’ as it creates a welfare system. In Finland this has been taken into account such that certain benefits are only available to those who live, work and pay taxes in the country.
Source:
"Today's Finland is a very different place from the country that the founders of this institution left," Halonen told the audience. "A poor and predominantly agrarian grand duchy within the Russian Empire has developed into a prosperous country that in several sectors has become a world leader."
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Countries