On Monday, Martti Ahtisaari, the Ex-Finnish president and Nobel peace prize winner, passed away, aged 86.
Ahtisaari was the Finnish president between 1994 and 2000 running as part of the Social Democrat party. He gained global attention as a a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, a United Nations diplomat, and mediator noted for his international peace work.
Sauli Niinistö, the country’s current president paid tribute to Ahtisaari, saying, “Martti Ahtisaari believed in people, civilisation and goodness, and he lived a great, remarkable life.”
Alexander Stubb, former Finnish Prime Minister, commented via Twitter/X, “The world has lost a truly exceptional person who devoted his life to peace. Martti Ahtisaari strongly believed that peace is a question of will and that all conflicts can be resolved, always seeing opportunities where others saw problems. Perhaps now more than ever, the world needs people like him.”
In September 2021, Ahtisaari was diagnosed as suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and had retired from public life.
Photo: Johannes Jansson/norden.org
