Ambassador's Greeting on Independence Day

Dear friends of Finland, Finland is celebrating its 103rd (one-hundred-and-third) Independence Day today.

The year 2020 has been different in many ways. The coronavirus pandemic has shown, how inter-dependent we are of each other in this global world. Common threats do not recognize country borders, but more often cross them before we have time to react. We have also seen how important it is to work together to face these challenges and protect ourselves and others. In times like this, one might ask, why celebrate Independence, is it still relevant? In the case of Finland, the answer is simple: By gaining our Independence, we have been able to grow into the prosperous European country we are today. Thanks to our Independence, we have been able to join common alliances and international organizations to solve global problems together. That is a good reason to celebrate, even in this challenging year.

With these words I want to wish you all a very nice end of the year and a happy new year 2021.

 

Jari Gustafsson
Ambassador