Alivaltiosihteeri Jarno Syrjälän puhe, Expomin-kaivosmessujen avajaiset 22.4.2025, Santiago de Chile

Ladies and gentlemen, Ministers and representatives of Chile's government, parliamentarians, colleagues and representatives of the diplomatic corps, members of the private sector, dear all.

It is my great honor to represent the Government of Finland in Expomin 2025 where Finland is the guest country. I would like to thank the chair of the organizing committee, AngloAmerican, and the organizers FISA for choosing Finland. I dedicate this achievement to all the hard work that Finnish companies, universities, research centers and other interest groups have done in the mining sector - past, current and future.

Finland has a long-standing tradition of excellence in mining technology and sustainable practices. Our collaboration with Latin American countries, including Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico, has been instrumental in advancing the mining industry. Through partnerships we have introduced innovative Finnish solutions to address operational needs and enhance efficiency and safety in mining operations. Our commitment to sustainable mining is reflected in Finland's new National Mineral Strategy, which was published in December 2024. This strategy outlines our vision for responsible and sustainable exploitation of minerals, promoting the green and digital transition, and ensuring the availability of raw materials for industry. Key goals include the growth of the mineral cluster, responsibility, developing expertise, and strengthening international cooperation. These objectives align closely with the goals of other mining countries, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and innovation in the sector.

Finland is one of the leading European countries in the mining sector and number one in Europe when it comes to many critical minerals, for example in nickel, chrome, platinum, cobalt and palladium. In addition, the biggest gold mine in Europe is situated in my country. As Chile is the number one producer of copper worldwide, it is my honor to mention that the leading technology for copper smelting, flash smelting, is a Finnish invention. The flash smelting technology is used in countless smelters around the world and the Finnish technology is safe and sustainable to use even in city centers, as an example from Aurubis in Hamburg, Germany and elsewhere shows. Chile is Finland's third largest trading partner in Latin America and we are extremely happy that the EU-Chile interim trade agreement has entered into force on the first of February this year. Like Chile, Finland is an economy based on exports and rules-based and fair free trade is the backbone of it all.

I would like to highlight the program of Expomin 2025, where we have Finnish companies and other institutions present in the plenary program covering a wide variety of panels. As Team Finland, we also have two panels in the plenary - one focusing on vocational education and another one on the cooperation between the private and the public sector and the academia in research and development and innovations. On the topic of innovations, the Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT, and Chile's CORFO have excellent cooperation on different sustainable and innovative solutions, also green mining, which has strengthened our excellent relations with Chile even more. We are pleased to have a sizable Finnish pavilion with more than 20 companies and their local representatives present. These companies offer solutions for the whole lify cycle of mining - from extraction to refining and smelting and anything in between. Tomorrow, Wednesday, we will have a full day dedicated to Finland in the form of the Finland Mining Tech Summit organized by our companies here in Espacio Riesco. I invite you all to participate. My team is happy to provide more information. We are also happy to have a cultural program included. For example, the world-renowned musician Lauri Porra from the Finnish metal band Stratovarius will perform his Finland soundscape together with local musicians later today.

To finalize, I would once again like to thank the organizers of Expomin for their trust in choosing Finland as the guest country. I would also like to extend my warm congratulations to Team Finland Chile - the Embassy, Business Finland and the Chamber of Commerce. This effort has required countless hours of work and long days. Many thanks to our companies and everyone involved in the implementation. Finally, my special thanks to the Chamber of Commerce's president Rodrigo Tapia who came up with the idea and worked tirelessly towards Finland being chosen as the guest country. I am confident that this event will foster new partnerships, inspire innovative solutions, and pave the way for a sustainable future in mining. Let us seize this opportunity to exchange knowledge, expore new technologies, and collaborate towards common goals. Thank you very much, muchas gracias.