HELSINKI: 11th India-Finland Foreign Office Consultations

HELSINKI: The 11th round of Foreign
Office Consultation between India and Finland was held on 23 November 2021 in
Helsinki. The Indian side was led by Mrs Reenat Sandhu, Secretary (West) in the
Ministry of External Affairs and the Finnish delegation was led by Mr. Matti
Anttonen, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

India and Finland share warm and friendly relations underpinned by common
values of democracy, freedom, rule of law and respect for human rights. The
Virtual Summit held on 16 March 2021 between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
Prime Minister Sanna Marin has added a strong momentum to our bilateral
relations.

The Foreign Office Consultations provided an opportunity to discuss the entire
gamut of bilateral relations, including further strengthening of our
partnership in diverse areas such as trade and investment, S&T, education,
digitization, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, innovation,
sustainable development, circular economy and renewable energy. Both sides reviewed
the progress made since the Virtual Summit and also agreed to explore
cooperation in new areas like vocational education, space, startups, health and
pharmaceuticals.

Both sides noted that the presence of more than 100 Finnish companies in India
and 30 Indian companies in Finland have made significant contribution to each
other’s economies. The Indian side invited Finnish companies to contribute to
the flagship initiatives like Make in India, Digital India, etc.

Both sides discussed the need for greater mobility between both countries,
including movement of students and professionals. In this context, they
expressed satisfaction on the recently concluded Air Bubble arrangement which
will enable resumption of direct flights between India and Finland.

The two sides discussed the Covid-19 situation and the vaccination drive in
both countries. Discussions also covered climate change and the 2030 SDG
Agenda.

The Finnish side congratulated India on 75 years of India’s independence and
conveyed that they looked forward to participating in the various events being
organized to commemorate this momentous occasion.

Both sides exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest
including Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific, India-EU Partnership, cooperation in the
Arctic & Antarctic regions and COP-26. Both sides agreed to enhance
cooperation during their terms at UN Human Rights Council (2022-2024), and in
other multilateral fora.

Secretary (West) also paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr Pekka Havisto, Foreign
Minister of Finland and discussed the positive trajectory in the bilateral
relations and exchanged views on regional and global issues.