Helsinki [Finland], July 6 (ANI): As India and Finland strengthen their ties, Finnish Foreign Affairs Minister Elina Valtonen on Monday said that the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would benefit both sides in terms of investments and jobs.
India and the EU reached an agreement on an FTA in January 2026, eliminating tariffs on several goods including textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, marine products, gems and jewellery, handicrafts, engineering goods, and automobiles.
The formal signing of the FTA is expected in December 2026.
Speaking to ANI, the Finnish Minister said that “Finland and India’s ties have never been better,” and the two nations can further strengthen relations in trade, green energy and security sectors.
She said, “Finland will do everything in its power to have the FTA implemented as soon as possible in the European Union. Nationally, we do see plenty of potential in fulfilling this agreement, both for our businesses, for intensifying trade, for having more and more investments on both sides, bringing jobs and prosperity to our people, but also from a political standpoint.”
Noting a “special friendship” with India, Valtonen said that two countries which value people making their own choices should cooperate together closely.
“It is important that countries that value a future where people can make their own choices cooperate ever closer together, and certainly Finland and India have a very special friendship also in this regard,” the Finnish Minister said.
She added that Finland discussed strengthening the ties with India on common agendas during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to the European nation in June.
Valtonen said, “I think the relationship between Finland and India has never been better. There’s plenty of potential for deepening and widening the common agenda even further. And this is indeed something we had the chance to dwell on when my counterpart Dr Jaishankar was visiting Finland just recently.”
“There is plenty we can do on the business trade and investment side, in digitalisation, in the green transition, in also, you know, security-related matters in space and groundbreaking technologies in general. Now, I think the foundation for that is the free trade agreement between the European Union and India, which has been extremely well-received, and I’m sure that will be a very good basis for ever-deepening cooperation,” she added.
Further, Valtonen said that Finland will “happily assist” India in achieving carbon neutrality.
“Finland is one of the leading countries in the world that aims to be carbon-neutral by 2035. We are happy to assist our close friends in achieving climate neutrality as soon as possible, because it’s not only important for the entire planet, but also for people to be able to live in clean surroundings. It’s also important for our businesses, because actually clean energy is a pretty attractive business case as well,” she told ANI.
During Jaishankar’s visit to Finland, the two leaders reviewed progress under the India-Finland Strategic Partnership and discussed expanding cooperation in key emerging technology sectors. They discussed cooperation on start-ups, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, critical minerals, quantum technologies, 6G, clean energy and space. (ANI)
The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.