“ASEAN committee in Helsinki (AHC) led by the Indonesian Ambassador to Finland had a had a courtesy call on Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland”

On 24 October 2023, ASEAN committee in Helsinki (AHC), comprising of the Indonesian Ambassador as a Chairperson of AHC and Ambassadors from Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as Chargé d'affaires of Malaysia paid a courtesy call on H.E. Ms. Elina Valtonen, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
H.E. Valtonen emphasized the long-lasting relationship between Finland and each of the ASEAN countries, which is based on cordial cooperations, especially in the area of trade, investment and tourism. Besides, Finland hopes to strengthen relations and become an ally with ASEAN in order to promote peace and stability in Southeast Asia. On this note, Finland began the process of accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) last week. H.E. Valtonen further discussed with AHC on the regional security architecture of Europe especially after Finland become member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as the crisis situation in the Middle East.
On behalf of AHC, Indonesian Ambassador expressed her profound condolences on the passing of H.E. Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, the 10th President of Finland and congratulated H.E. Valtonen on her appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland. She also shared her views on the important role ASEAN played in the current world situation and the visibility of ASEAN in Finland.
On this occasion, the Thai Ambassador also conveyed condolence messages from His Majesty the King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua of the Kingdom of Thailand to H.E. Mr. Sauli Niinistö, the President of the Republic of Finland on passing of H.E. Mr. Martti Ahtisaari whom had graciously welcomed His Majesty the King of Thailand during his Official Visit as the Crown Prince of Thailand to Finland in 1997. The Thai Ambassador also discussed on significant issues between Thailand and Finland; for instance, the exemption of visa for Thai nationals who hold ordinary Passports to the Schengen area, the exchange of high-level visits on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the establishment of Diplomatic relations between Thailand and Finland, the cooperation on climate action, as well as the promotion of rule-based international orders based on common values.
*************************