February 17, 2026 01:26 pm (IST)
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India-Finland
Secretary (West) Sibi George called on Matias Marttinen, Minister of Employment, Republic of Finland, during his visit to Helsinki. Photo: Randhir Jaiswal/X

The 13th Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Finland were held in Helsinki on Thursday, when the officials took stock of the progress in bilateral ties between the two nations and further discussed possible expansion in cooperation across multiple sectors, including Artificial Intelligence.

The Indian side was led by  Sibi George, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs and the Finnish side was led by Jukka Salovaara, Permanent State Secretary of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

During his visit to Helsinki, Secretary (West) also paid a courtesy call on Matias Marttinen, Minister of Employment, Republic of Finland.

"Both sides took stock of the progress in the India-Finland bilateral relationship, and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the cooperation in the areas of trade & investment, digitalization, quantum computing, 5G/6G, AI, sustainability, clean technologies, circular economy, education, research & development, people-to-people ties and mobility," read a statement issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

India considers Finland a valued and trusted partner in the EU and the Nordic region, MEA said.

With the notable progress in collaboration under the India-EU Strategic Partnership, Finnish side reaffirmed its support for early conclusion of an ambitious and mutually beneficial India-EU Free Trade Agreement.

Discussions were also held on multilateral cooperation, including the Arctic and in the UN. Finnish side reiterated its support for permanent membership of India in a reformed UN Security Council.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international developments of mutual concern. They underscored the importance of multilateral engagements and continued dialogue on global challenges.

Both sides agreed to continue regular consultations and to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations at a mutually convenient date in New Delhi.

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