Finnish Parliament Welcomes Closer PH-Finland Relations

Philippine Ambassador to Oslo Jocelyn Batoon-Garcia (leftmost) with Committee Counsel of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament of Finland Tiina Larvala (center) and Minister Raul Dado (rightmost) of the soon-to-be established Philippine Embasy in Stockholm. (Oslo PE photo)

HELSINKI 11 February 2020 – A small but steady increase of Filipino professionals and skilled workers are finding their way into Finland, which is seen as a welcome, if not necessary, trend in the Nordic country.

Coupled with the recent announcement by the Finnish Government to open an Embassy in Manila, is found promising the expansion of the relations between the Philippines and Finland.

Committee Counsel of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament of Finland Tiina Larvala said that the opening of the Finnish Embassy in Manila is a recognition of the opportunities for closer Philippines-Finland relations. Ambassador Batoon-Garcia meanwhile mentioned specific areas of cooperation that the Philippines would like to pursue, such as healthcare, education, energy, information technology, environment - including forest management, and Finnish investments within the “Build, Build, Build” program of President Rodrigo Duterte.

There are two hundred members of the Finnish Parliament, elected for a term of four years. The Ambassador plans to visit the Parliament to meet with some of the members of the Foreign Relations Committee. END

For more information, visit https://www.oslope.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinNorway/.