The Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize Committee today announced that Mr. Ahtisaari is the winner of this year’s prize. The 71-year old Finn wins the prestigious prize for his peace engagement in the Aceh province in Indonesia, the Kosovo conflict, as well as work in Northern Ireland, the Nobel Peace Committee informs.
A former President of Finland (1994-200), Martti Ahtisaari has worked actively to promote peace worldwide. He has also had a major impact on Finland’s foreign policy.
In his presidency he worked actively to make Finland adopt the euro as its future currency, overcome the country’s location on the northeastern fringe of the Continent and become a central player in Brussels, the seat of the European Union, as well as a bridge between Russia and the Europeans.
Mr. Ahtisaari was a vigorous supporter of his country’s decision to enter the European Union in 1995 and the European monetary union in 1998, and he has repeatedly argued that the European Union’s primary responsibility is to be patient with Russia and help it achieve democratic stability.
Martti Ahtisaari was born on June 23, 1937, in the city of Viipuri, which is now on the Russian side of the border in territory ceded to the Soviet Union after World War II. His father, a naturalized Finn born in Norway, was a noncommissioned army officer.
He went to school in Oulu in the north of Finland
Read the New York Times’ article about Martti Ahtisaari: A Proven Peacemaker: Martti Ahtisaari (1999)
