Annan hails 150th anniversary of demilitarization of Åland Islands

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has hailed the 150th anniversary of the Åland Islands, saying that the international community’s ability to avert a war between Finland and Sweden over the territory stands as a useful example of conflict resolution that should inspire approaches to current situations.

“The Åland Islands model is a highly sophisticated and imaginative one, which promoted the coexistence of different linguistic communities within a larger, internationally viable State,” he said in a message marking the milestone.

The settlement averted a potential armed conflict between Finland and Sweden by preserving the territorial integrity of both countries while allowing the area’s people to preserve their autonomy and the specific character of their community, and confirmed the 1856 demilitarization of the Islands.

The Secretary-General said that elements of the settlement could be used elsewhere, even if the model as a whole could not. “Perhaps the most important lesson it teaches us is that flexibility and imagination are always needed in applying general principles to particular situations,” he said. “Certainly any zone of conflict could benefit from a dose of what I might call the Åland spirit – a spirit of pragmatism, compromise, and, above all, commitment to peace.”