Senator the Honourable Dr. Amery Browne, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs and His Excellency Pertti Ikonen, non-Resident Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, exchanged ideas on a range of topics during a courtesy call by the Ambassador on 26th October, 2022. The Ambassador was accompanied by Mr. Troy Garcia, Honorary Consul for Finland and Mrs. Sanna Tavi, Junior Desk Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. The Permanent Secretary and officers of the European Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs accompanied the Minister.
Ambassador Ikonen, in his capacity as the roving Ambassador for Finland to the Caribbean, visited Trinidad and Tobago as part of a fact-finding tour to the region by Team Finland. Team Finland is a consortium of Finnish state and quasi-state entities geared towards promoting Finland abroad. The courtesy call at the Ministry marked the culmination of a series of interactions with other senior Government Officials and businesspersons in Trinidad and Tobago, as Finland seeks to increase its level of engagement with this country.
Among the issues discussed was the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. During this discussion, Minister Browne reminded the Ambassador that Trinidad and Tobago has been one of the outspoken countries calling for a cessation of the hostilities.
Trinidad and Tobago and Finland have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1972 and Minister Browne indicated that there exist opportunities for enhancing these relations through cooperation in the areas of education, trade, energy, fishing, forestry, digital technology and maritime services.
