Finnish Ambassador to Russia Mikko Hautala cites relevant discussion themes at SPIEF 2018
Finland, which is chairing the Arctic Council in 2017–2019, is interested in taking part in the upcoming St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and the International Arctic Forum that is held in conjunction with the former forum in 2018. The Finnish side sees great prospects in a multilateral exchange of experience involving the use of the economic potential of the northern and Arctic regions as well as on issues concerning the development of the digital economy.
Finnish Ambassador to the Russian Federation Mikko Hautala made this announcement during a meeting in Moscow with Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov.
The officials offered a positive assessment of the current pace of development in Russian–Finnish relations in the trade, economic, and investment sectors. Hautala cited the total investment of Finnish companies in Russia, which is estimated at EUR 12 billion, as one of the most significant indicators.
The meeting participants agreed to continue the bilateral business dialogue, including as part of key economic forums in Russia organized by the Roscongress Foundation. The Roscongress Foundation and the East Office of Finnish Industries, an umbrella organization that unites Finnish companies operating in Russia, signed a cooperation agreement on 1 June 2017 on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
During the meeting, Hautala and Kobyakov also discussed the possibility of holding a business event to present the economic potential of Russia’s regions to investors from the Finnish Republic, which would also help to further develop the bilateral dialogue between Moscow and Helsinki.
Summarizing the meeting results, the officials agreed that Finland’s active participation in major international economic forums in Russia will be of key importance in the context of expanding bilateral business ties.
