Henrik Meinander, professor at the University of Helsinki, author of the book "History of Finland", visited YSU and gave a lecture on the history of Finland at the Faculty of History. His book has been translated into 18 languages, and the professor completed the preface of the Armenian translation by referring to some historical commonalities between Armenia and Finland.
Henrik Meinander wrote in the preface of the book translated into Armenian that both Finland and Armenia were part of great powers throughout history, fought to preserve their own culture and values, and achieved independence due to their courage and fate.
Mkhitar Gabrielyan, Dean of the Faculty of History, delivered welcoming remarks at the opening of the event and informed that the "History of Finland" will be available to students at the faculty's library: "Although the two countries are separated by a great distance from each other, they have quite a lot of similarities in historical events. Both of them, being subject to the yoke of empire, were able to oppose the flow of current and build their independence. Finland is also a great example of succeeding in dealing with political and economic issues after going through wars. Besides, in recent decades it has created one of the best education systems in the world.
The book "History of Finland" shows how Finland, being a constituent part of the Swedish kingdom, and then an autonomous Russian Grand Duchy, turned into an independent state.
Professor Henrik Meinander, presenting the book, also told how Finland joined the EU, and became a member of NATO a year ago.
"Finland was a part of the Swedish kingdom for about 600 years, and in 1809 the Russian Empire occupied Finland. In the 1800s, Finland was part of the Russian Empire until the Russian Revolution of 1917, after which the Finns managed to separate from the Russian Empire and achieve independence," said the professor, adding that although Finland fought against the USSR after gaining independence, moreover with Germany, and lost, it was the only country in Eastern Europe that was not occupied. Furthermore, Finland improved relations with both the USSR and Western countries, signing a number of agreements. As a result, an international perception was formed that Finland is a neutral country.
Speaking about the process of joining the EU, Henrik Meinander emphasized that Finland became a member of the EU in 1995, when it did not already have any security obligations towards Russia. Then developed military relations with the USA and in 2023 became member of NATO, at the same time expecting to establish friendly ties with Russia.
After the lecture, Henrik Meinander, answering the questions of the audience, referred to the education system of Finland. He noted that education in their country, including higher education institutions, is free for Finnish citizens, and the quality is quite high since even to teach in elementary classes, a teacher must hold a master's degree.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Finland to the Republic of Armenia Kirsti Narinen was also present at the event. She thanked the Finnish professor for presenting the political developments in Finland and emphasized that she was happy to see many girls among the students listening to the lecture, expressing hope that in the future many of them will become lecturers at the YSU Faculty of History.
The professor's book was translated into Armenian by the "NewMag" company. Artak Aleksanyan, Head of the company, speaking about the significance of the book, noted that the book will give students an idea of how states come out of the crisis. He emphasized that Finland, which once suffered defeats, is now, according to the UN, considered one of the happiest countries in the world.
It is noteworthy that according to the data of 2023, Finland ranked first in the list of the happiest countries in the world.
The professor from the University of Helsinki was invited to Armenia with the support of the Embassy of Finland to the Republic of Armenia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. YSU Vice-Rector for Development and Innovations Mikayel Hovhannisyan, employees of the Embassy of Finland to the Republic of Armenia, the teaching staff and students from the YSU Faculty of History were present at the lecture.
