Dear president, members of the Parliament and distinguished guests, 
It is an honour for me to bring our warmest greetings and congratulations from the Sámi Parliament on the Norwegian side of the border and to take part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Sámi Parliament in Finland.

The Sámi Parliament in Finland was established in November 1973, a time of the year when we who live in the North are entering the period of Polar Nights. The Sun is below the horizon and the darkness surrounds us. Just at that point of the year, the Sámi Parliament was established. A self-determining institution for the Sámi people in Finland, which was intended to, and will continue to advocate for the Sámi peoples concerns and matters that affect the Sámi community.

It is important that we have our own institutions that we ourselves manage and that we ourselves can choose which matters are important for us to engage in. These are matters both internally in Sápmi, but also issues in the majority society. Often the agenda for political and social debate is raised by members of the majority, be in on a national or international level. The Sámi Parliaments are instruments that give us the opportunity to influence and put forward issues that we see important. In Finland, you have been that voice for 50 years now.

For 50 years, both politicians and the staff of the Sámi Parliament, have been promoting and engaging in issues for the good of the Sámi people and community. Is is an achievement worth celebrating, and we should honour and be grateful to those who have been our pioneers, who have cleared the path for us in the past.

These paths have hopefully turned into larger paths, which are easier to walk for those who have come after. Although some of our paths have grown and possibly even turned into a road, we know that there are still issues in our society that will require a great deal of effort from the people working on Sámi issues. 

We face challenges and problems that are demanding and seemingly difficult to solve, but I believe that this is something that fuels the drive of those who are working with Sámi issues. Findings those good solutions of difficult matters creates a commitment to continue working to strengthen Sámi issues.

We, The Sámi People, regardless of which country we live in, have common issues that require cooperation. In such situations, borders have no importance; we are one people in many countries. The management of salmon fishing in Deatnu, The Tana river and watershed, is for example one current issue where it is both beneficial and natural to have a good dialogue between us. I believe that our common goal in this case is to ensure a local and sustainable management through involvement and emphasis on árbediehtu, traditional Sámi knowledge. It is important to manage the fishing so it can be passed on as an important part of the Sámi culture for the future as well.

The transfer and teaching of our traditional knowledge for the future is more important than ever before. Our way of living, our culture and our languages are seriously threatened. In order to preserve these, cross-border cooperation is something that we should value highly. There are many issues within the different sectors of society we can and should cooperate on. We know from past experiences, that when we join forces to work on solving problems we have achieved results that we are pleased with and that are good for Sápmi. 

My wish is that we in the future continuously work to strengthen the Sámi community through cooperation, and that we ensure that the Sámi people have the best possible conditions for maintaining and living in our areas. 

On behalf of the Sámi Parliament in Norway, I congratulate the Sámi Parliament with the 50th anniversary and wish for future success in the important work of advocating Sámi rights and issues in Finland.