Envoy underscores 'mutually beneficial cooperation' as Finland, India celebrate 75 years of ties

By Ayushi Agarwal
New Delhi [India], March 1 : Hailing the 75 years of cooperation between Finland and India, the Finnish ambassador to India, Kimmo Lahdevirta, said on Friday that the relations between the two nations have good potential for mutually beneficial cooperation.
He said that, though the journey started 75 years ago, it is worth celebrating it the whole year.
"I think it's an exciting journey, certainly, and I'm very proud that we are at this stage now. Of course, it started 75 years ago in September, but we feel that it's worth celebrating the whole year. We now have very good potential for mutually beneficial cooperation in several fields", he said while speaking to ANI.
The Finnish envoy also highlighted the DESI initiative which stands for Digitalisation, Education, Sustainability and Innovation. Finland's DESI Initiative with India is a new type of model for closer trade relations. It is Finland's first export promotion programme with India that spans across sectors in a comprehensive way.
The envoy spoke on the sidelines of an event hosted by the embassy that felicitated an Indian student on winning the logo design competition to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Finland and India.
The design by the student Aman Narayan, a 19-year-old second-year student of Graphics Communications at the School of Communication, World University of Design, was judged the winner by a panel of judges from India and Finland comprising Finnish and Indian graphic designers, embassy representatives, and Business Finland.
Explaining his idea behind the logo, Aman said that he drew the inspiration from India's cultural ethos as well as aurora borealis, the famous natural phenomenon in Finland commonly known as northern lights.
Speaking at the felicitation ceremony, Ambassador Lahdevirta said: "Today, we applaud Aman Narayan, a talented student from the World University of Design, for his contribution to the Finland-India 75th Anniversary celebrations. The winning logo design symbolizes well the long-standing cooperation between our countries, paving the way for a greener future."
The winning logo was earlier officially unveiled by Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Finland, and S Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs of India, during their meeting at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi on February 22.
Elina Valtonen, Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, said, "The 75-year journey of Finland-India relations has been remarkable. This logo beautifully symbolises our strong friendship and growing partnership. I am honoured to join my Indian counterpart in its unveiling."
Both countries have accepted the logo for use in their bilateral communications for the year.
India and Finland have traditionally enjoyed warm and friendly relations. In recent years, bilateral relations have acquired diversity with collaboration in research, innovation, and investments by both sides.
The Indian community in Finland is vibrant and well-placed. Indian culture and yoga are gaining popularity in Finland. 2019 marked 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.