Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari attends a luncheon of political journalists, in Helsinki on February 16, 2016. He died at the age of 86 on October 16, 2023.
The Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) - Martti Ahtisaari Foundation has announced the death of its namesake, former Finnish President and Nobel Peace Prize awardee Martti Ahtisaari, on Monday (October 16) at the age of 86.
The foundation was created to prevent and resolve violent international conflicts, similar to the feat Ahtisaari during his time in politics. In a statement, the foundation said it was "deeply saddened by the loss of its founder and (former) chair of the board."
It was previously reported that the former statesman was diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer's disease, a conventional form of dementia.
According to the Associated Press, Ahtisaari helped reach peace accords related to Serbia's withdrawal from Kosovo in the late 1990s, Namibia's bid for independence in the 1980s, and autonomy for Aceh province in Indonesia in 2005.
He was also involved with ending The Troubles in Ireland in the late 1990s, being tasked with monitoring the IRA's disarmament process.
Ahtisaari is survived by his wife Eeva and their adult son, Markko.
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…
— Alexander Stubb (@alexstubb) October 16, 2023
Reaction to Ahtisaari's Death
One of the first to mourn Ahtisaari's loss was his successor, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.
"He was president in times of change, who piloted Finland into a global EU era," he said, additionally describing his predecessor on Finnish public broadcaster YLE as "a citizen of the world" and "a great Finn."
It was during Niinistö's presidency when the country formally joined NATO last April, something Ahtisaari has been a strong supporter of.
Niinistö further recalled Ahtisaari having "a great heart and [believing] in the human being."
"In his speech at the Nobel celebration, Ahtisaari said that all conflicts can be resolved: 'Wars and conflicts are not inevitable. They are caused by humans,'" Niinistö added. "There are always interests that war promotes. Therefore, those who have power and influence can also stop them."
Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani also reacted to Ahtisaari's death, saying that he "committed all his life to peace, diplomacy, the goodness of humanity, and had an extraordinary influence" in Kosovo's present and future.
"He engraved the frame of our country, and his name will remain forever in the pages of the Republic of Kosovo's history," he added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also called the Finnish statesman "a visionary" and "a champion of peace" on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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Who is Martti Ahtisaari?
Born June 23, 1937, in the eastern town of Viipuri, which is now part of Russia, Martti Ahtisaari was a primary school teacher before joining Finland's Foreign Ministry in 1965.
During his time as a diplomat, he spent about 20 years abroad, including as the Finnish ambassador to Tanzania, Zambia, and Somalia, before becoming Finland's ambassador to the United Nations in New York.
He returned to Finland in 1991 as a secretary of state for the Finnish Foreign Ministry before being elected president in 1994. He was the first Finnish head of state to be elected directly instead of through an electoral college.
As president, his political highlight came in 1999, when he negotiated the end to fighting in Kosovo alongside Russia's Balkans envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin. He also hosted Russian President Boris Yeltsin and US President Bill Clinton in Helsinki in 1997.
While he was eligible to run for a second term in the January 2000 presidential election, Ahtisaari declined to do so, saying he wanted to devote the time he would otherwise have used for campaigning to run the rotating EU presidency, which Finland held for the first time in 1999.
After leaving office, he formed CMI in Helsinki. He stepped down as chairman of the organization to help resolve global conflicts but said he would continue working with the group as an adviser.
Upon receiving the Nobel Prize in 2008, Ahtisaari said peace was "a question of will."
"All conflicts can be settled, and there are no excuses for allowing them to become eternal," he added.
Ahtisaari was replaced as CMI chair by former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, who is now running for president.
"[P]erhaps now more than ever, the world needs people like him," he said.
Ahtisaari's death came as Israel and the Gaza-based terrorist organization Hamas have been waging war in the region for the past two weeks as of writing.
CMI said Ahtisaari would be buried following a state funeral, which would be announced at a later date.
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