Current affairs

Parliamentary elections will take place in Finland on Sunday 02.04.2023. Advance voting is possible in Singapore 22.-25.03.2023.

Finland’s image grew stronger in 2022. Finland has had remarkable visibility in foreign media, and news about Finland has met with an exceptionally positive reception. In particular, opinions about Finland’s government and people have become even more positive. Increased familiarity with Finland is important as the country seeks ways to influence the world, according to the Country Image Annual Report, published by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Finns are once again actively travelling abroad. Over the years, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has been reminding travellers of things to take into account when travelling abroad to make sure their trip runs as smoothly as possible.

Passports and identity cards issued by the Finnish authorities will have a new appearance as of 13 March 2023. Minor technical adjustments will also be made to residence permit cards and residence cards. The changes will have no effect on the validity of previously issued passports, identity cards or residence permit documents.

Finland stands with Ukraine now and in the future, says Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto in Finland’s national statement on the anniversary on 24 February 2023 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Friday 24 February marks the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will mark the day in many ways. Finland wants to show its solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and to commemorate the victims of Russia’s aggression.

Finland contributes EUR 5 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) to support the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. With Finland’s support, WFP is buying grain from Ukraine and taking it to African countries affected by the food crisis.

Daryl Tay, a 29-year-old Singaporean volleyball coach who works in Finland, studied coaching and sports at the local institution. Now he aims to be a professional volleyball coach.

The new Ambassador of Singapore to Finland, HE Koon Hean Cheong, presented her credentials to the President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, on Wednesday, 15 February 2023.

The number of visas applied for at Finnish missions abroad are on the rise again after the pandemic years. However, the number of visas granted was only about one fifth of the number of visas granted in 2019, the year before the pandemic started.