Ambassador Pirkko Hämäläinen attends annual Finland- Türkiye trade association meeting in Helsinki
Annual ambassador meeting of Finland- Türkiye trade association was held in Helsinki this august. Finland and Türkiye are celebrating in 2024–2026 the centenary of friendship and diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Finland-Türkiye trade association organized its annual ambassadorial meeting with Finland's ambassador to Türkiye, Pirkko Hämäläinen, on Thursday, August 22, 2024 in the Eurooppasali in Helsinki. After the opening remarks of Daniel A. Vahtera, chairman of the trade association, Ambassador Hämäläinen shared the latest news about our countries' foreign and economic policy development. Finland and Türkiye will celebrate together in 2024–2026 the centenary of friendship and diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Regarding activities in the near future, the ambassador mentioned the joint Nordic NATO event in Ankara in September. It is organized with the Nordic missions (FI, SE, NO and DK) and the Turkish Foreign Policy Institute (FPI). The focus of the event is Finland's and Sweden's accession to NATO and the Nordic countries' 75th anniversary in NATO cooperation. In October, there will be a Martti Ahtisaari peace mediation seminar at Bilkent University in Ankara. Finland's Independence Day is celebrated with the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra accompanied by a Finnish conductor and cellist.
Joona Selin, Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy of Finland in Ankara, gave an overview of the export potential of the Turkish market area and the prospects for the development of trade relations between our countries. Bilateral trade between Finland and Turkey reached the fourth consecutive record year, reaching almost 2.7 BEUR in 2023. Strikes in Finland's export industry and uncertainties in Türkiye’s domestic market are reflected in the trade figures for the first half of 2024. Finland's exports to Türkiye decreased by 25 percent and imports from Türkiye to Finland decreased by 15 percent in January-May 2024.
However, the visit calendar is busy. East Office of Finnish Industries organizes a visit of Finnish construction industry companies to Istanbul in September. The purpose is to meet Turkish contractors with an eye on the reconstruction of Ukraine and the Caucasus and Central Asian markets. In addition, a Finnish business delegation focusing on low-carbon steel industry will visit Istanbul at the Ankiros fair in September. In connection with Slush, a Finland- Türkiye startup accelerator will be organized in Helsinki and Turkish investors will visit Finland to exlpore commercial cooperation.