Many unused opportunities for cooperation between Finland and India

Finland and India have many unused opportunities for cooperation, said Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja and India´s Deputy Foreign Minister Anand Sharma at their meeting on October 13 after the EU-India summit meeting held in Helsinki. Matters brought up in the discussions included bilateral agreements, and new forms of cooperation such as exchanges of experts and investments.

Science, research and development and their promotion are topics of current interest in both countries. Finland would like to speed up the progress of a science and technology agreement so that it could be signed during President Tarja Halonen´s visit to India in January next year. Finland also took up the exchange of experts between the two countries, a question which the Finnish National Fund for Research and Development (Sitra) will begin to investigate in India next year. Minister Sharma said that Finland has abundant resources in the area of science and technology, including high technology, and promised his Government´s support for the project.

India would very much like to see more investments from Finland. Sharma pointed out that there is a considerable difference between Finland´s investments in India and China. He said that there are many opportunities for foreign companies in India, particularly for building infrastructure. According to the Indian Foreign Minister, the need for investments in infrastructure in the near future has been estimated at 320 billion USD. Minister Tuomioja assured him that Finland´s investments in India would increase, probably at a faster rate than investments in China.

Other matters of mutual interest brought up included Finnair´s direct flights to India to start at the beginning of November this year, which will shorten the travel time between Europe and India considerably and improve the connections between Finland and India, the renewal of the bilateral trade agreement signed in1967 and the possible opening of negotiations on a double taxation treaty between the two countries.

Regional issues discussed by the Ministers concerned Iran and Sudan. Sharma stressed that India supports Iran´s right to nuclear energy for civilian purposes, but is against the creation of a completely new nuclear power in the area.

Foreign Minister Tuomioja also took up the Helsinki process and welcomed India´s more active participation in it.