Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sam Tan made a bilateral working visit to Helsinki and Rovaniemi, Finland from 19 to 22 September 2017.
In Helsinki, MOS Tan met State Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office Paula Lehtomäki and Under Secretary of State for External Economic Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Markku Keinänen. MOS Tan congratulated Finland on its 100th year of independence in 2017, and reaffirmed the warm and friendly bilateral relations between Singapore and Finland, as well as Singapore's commitment to supporting the work of the Arctic Council (AC) under Finland's chairmanship from 2017 to 2019. Both sides also discussed how to promote economic cooperation, including Finland's support for the early ratification of the European Union (EU)-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.
MOS Tan also met Tero Vauraste, Chairman of the Arctic Economic Council and President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of icebreaking and offshore services provider Arctia Oy, and visited the Finnish Meteorological Institute to understand opportunities and challenges in the Arctic, as well as discuss how Singapore could contribute to the priority areas under Finland’s AC Chairmanship. MOS Tan also met with some Singaporeans living in Helsinki, and the Singapore participants at the 4th Arctic Energy Summit being held in Helsinki from 18 to 20 September 2017.
In Rovaniemi, MOS Tan visited the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland, the northernmost university in the EU, where he learned more about Finland’s Arctic research activities and explored opportunities for research collaboration with institutions in Singapore. MOS Tan also met Mayor of Rovaniemi Esko Lotvonen and President and CEO of the Lapland Chamber of Commerce Timo Rautajoki, where they discussed economic opportunities in Lapland, such as infrastructure development and tourism.
MOS Tan will depart for Singapore today.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
22 SEPTEMBER 2017
