The bilateral relations between Fiji and Finland will unfold opportunities for the advancement of resilient and sustainable socioeconomic development.
This was reinforced at a courtesy call received by the Permanent Secretary (PS), Office of the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs, Mr Yogesh Karan from the new non-resident Ambassador of Finland to Fiji, Her Excellency Satu Mattila-Budich.
At a meeting held on Wednesday (11/05/22) at the Office of the Prime Minister, PS Karan said Fiji looks forward to expanding the scope of our bilateral engagement with Finland in areas of shared priorities.
PS Karan said the Fijian Government in partnership with its development partners like Finland is aspiring to build back better from global challenges, mainly climate change and COVID-19 pandemic.
The two nation’s cooperation at the multilateral level through UN Peacekeeping was also acknowledged at the meeting.
PS Karan reaffirmed Fiji’s solidarity with the EU and Finland in supporting the UN resolutions opposing Russia’s aggression on Ukraine.
He said despite Fiji’s vast distance from Europe, the socioeconomic impacts of the conflict is felt globally and here in Fiji. It has prompted various stakeholders to collectively address these challenges and efforts are being made to minimize the impact on livelihoods.
PS Karan conveyed Fiji’s request on the timely processing of Schengen Visa for those Fijian citizens, who travel to Europe and the opportunities it would present for the tourism industry.
He thanked Ambassador Budich for her visit to Fiji, which paves the way to strengthened ongoing cooperation between Fiji, EU and Finland.
In response, Ambassador Budich said Finland seeks economic cooperation with Fiji and is interested in providing support for local projects and development sectors.
