Kazakhstan and Finland marked the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations on May 13 with new plans to expand trade and investment partnerships and strengthen cultural ties, as reported by the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Main trading partner
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko and Ambassador of Finland to Kazakhstan Soili Mäkeläinen-Buhanist exchanged congratulatory messages on behalf of the leaders of the two countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.
The deputy minister noted the achievements of bilateral cooperation in politics, trade, and other areas between the two countries over the past 30 years.
Kazakhstan and Finland share commitment and support for a multilateral policy. Effective "multilateralism" is very important to prevent or mitigate geopolitical conflicts, preserve environmental sustainability, strengthen civil society and protect human rights.
There are 45 Finnish companies operating in Kazakhstan in the sphere of digital technology, energy, transport, agriculture, and education. Among them are the Nokia communication company, Metso engineering company, Wartsila technology company for the marine and energy markets, Vaisala, Kone, Honka, Tikkurila, Reka, Lindstrom, Onninen, and many more.
The Kazakhstan-Finnish Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation and its specialized working groups in the field of energy, transport, agriculture and education plays an important role in the development of bilateral cooperation. The visit of Ville Skinnari, the Co-Chairman of the IGC and the Minister of Foreign Trade and International Development Assistance of Finland, on May 13-14, 2021, inspired further action in the relations to mutual trade.
The Finnish education system was raised as a point of interest for Kazakhstan since it tops international rankings as the best in the world. The University of Helsinki was included in the list of recommended institutions of higher education within the Bolashak program for 2021-2023. To date, about 40 specialists have been trained in Finland under the Bolashak program.
Since 2013, JAMK University of Applied Sciences has been a strategic partner of the RK Ministry of Health in reforming the system of training Kazakhstani nursing specialists. As part of the cooperation, a number of joint activities and projects have been implemented, with the participation of more than a thousand health professionals.
As noted at a meeting with Ambassador R. Vassilenko, "Kazakhstan and Finland have much in common: both Finns and Kazakhstanis are known for their love of hockey, for example. In this regard, the Kazakh diplomat wished Finland a successful hockey world championship that begins today and that the national teams of the two countries were lucky and won spectacularly.