The leaders on the Indian side and the European side are now determined to have a free trade agreement (ALE) by the end of this year and there is a good chance that this objective could be achieved, the Ambassador of Finland in India Kimmo Lähdevirta said on Monday.
Vice-president of Arvind Limited, Kulin Lalbhai, who was appointed Honorary Consul of Finland was also present on this occasion.
After inaugurating the honorary consulate, the Finnish ambassador interacted with the media.
Asked about the recent visit to a delegation from the European Union (EU), the prospects for Ale between India and the EU And how long could it be concluded, Lähdevirta said: “It was really historic. The entire college of the EU Commission visited India. It was a historical visit. I think it also created a good time for the negotiations to be. Being realized … For the moment, I would say that the momentum and the perspectives are very good. »»
In a brief speech after the inauguration of the honorary consulate, Lähdevolta said: “Last year, Finland and India celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations, and the Finn have been present in India for at least as much as even more.
“The decision to open our honorary consulate here is a reflection of the deepening of the Finnish-Indian partnership and growing commercial interests.
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“In Gujarat, our cooperation traditionally focuses on energy, but today, Finnish companies are engaged in several sectors: clean energy, circular economy, skills, intelligent infrastructure and sustainable design. And Gujarat – with its world class environment, an ideal environment for these collaborations, and institutions oriented towards innovation.
According to the Finnish ambassador, more than 100 companies operate in India and about 10 of them are active in Gujarat.
He also said that the overall annual trade between India and Finland is around three billion euros, which includes trade in goods and services.
He added that Finland’s export to India is more on the side of goods and that India’s export to Finland is more on the side of services.
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He invited the inhabitants of Gujarat to “visit, explore and invest in Finland”.
In the context, he also said that Finland was going to organize a roadshow in Helsinki next fall to also inform people from current India.
He said Finland wanted to attract Indian students and health staff.
Speaking on occasion, Kulin Lalbhai said: “With this kind of opportunity and platform … to be part of a dialogue with a country as exciting as Finland, he personally projects the opportunity for me to obtain a new exhibition and try to contribute to this excellent relationship. And as a honorary consul, there will be multiple things on which I had additional skills. Meet many sole proprietorships and we hope to deepen these relationships and bring many positive points on both sides of the equation. »»
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In response to a question, Lalbhai said there were more than 20,000 Indians who live in Finland and that more than 20 Indian companies have established operations there.
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