"The lesson we draw is simple: you do not need trust to begin a process," the leaders said in a joint opinion piece in the Financial Times.File photo of Finnish President Alexander Stubb (on right) and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a joint press conference earlier this year. Image: Selma Rita / YleYle News10:25Finnish President Alexander Stubb and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier have jointly called for the launch of an extensive peace process in the Middle East.They issued the proposal in a opinion piece in the Financial Times that was published on Monday, titled "the Middle East needs its own Helsinki Act".As a guideline, the leaders pointed to the landmark summit in the mid-70s that had major impacts on global relations amid the Cold War.Hosted in the Finnish capital, the 1975 summit represented a pivotal achievement in negotiations. It solidified postwar boundaries and established a foundation for human rights discourse. While it produced no dramatic breakthroughs, the gathering stood out as an exceptional instance of collaboration, bringing together 35 nations dedicated to conversation rather than conflict.Yle News' podcast All Points North examined the impacts of those negotiations last year, amid the summit's 50th anniversary.The summer the Cold War thawed (a little)The presidents' opinion piece read: "In the 1970s, 35 nations came together: Nato allies, Warsaw Pact members, neutral and nonaligned states. The process culminated in the Helsinki Final Act of August 1975, a landmark of cold war détente. The lesson we draw is simple: you do not need trust to begin a process"."The process itself is what builds trust. In that spirit, and fully aware of how long and difficult the road proved to be, we propose a new Helsinki for the Middle East," it continued."A new Helsinki moment could set in motion a region-wide dialogue for peace. The starting point is this: despite all conflicts and grievances, with no preconditions — what can this region agree on, here and now?"”In that spirit, and fully aware of how long and difficult the road proved to be, we propose a new Helsinki for the Middle East.”