(recast) Finnish president acts as mediator between Russia, Turkey

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said that he played a role as mediator between Russia and Turkey in autumn, as he answered audience's questions on a program aired by Finnish national broadcaster Yle on Saturday.

Concerning a query about the role of a small country like Finland in the international politics, Niinisto said that he had helped pass on messages between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after meeting them one after another.

"I think a country of this size has a role to play in building relations between the East and the West," Niinisto said. He emphasized that small players like Finland do play important roles in the international politics.

During the Cold War, Finland played an active role as a mediator and peace broker.

Niinisto also stressed the potential role of the EU as a peace mediator. He hoped that the importance of the EU in the international relations would grow, particularly in the U.S.-Russian relations and the tensions in the Middle East.

"I see great potential in the EU. I have talked earlier about enhancing joint security and defence policies. EU together is much larger than EU countries separately," he said. Endit