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done more for its independence, development and high international rating than Urho Kekkonen.
Today, in the present context of East-West relations, Finland would have profited from his enthu-
siasm and "drive."
The authors of Suomen Poliittinen historia 1809-1995 completed it with a section they called "A
New Stage." At that time, they imagined that the future of their country could be tied exclusively
to the European Union. Time and life have shown that "an opening to Europe" as an unbeatable
argument that would finally help Finland get out of its geopolitical and economic location "at the
back of beyond"29 turned out to be highly contradictory. In 1985, I wrote about the "back of be-
yond" that "Finland that kept away from the useless trade wars and embargoes became a 'trade giant'
in the context of East-West relations."3
Nowadays, Russia is trying to offer more objective opinions about the history of its relations with
Finland.
In conclusion, let me quote Urho Kekkonen: "The paradox for Finland was that the better Finland
succeeded in achieving the Soviet Union's trust, the better were her possibilities for cooperation
with the West."
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