Türkiye, Finland eye $5.5B in bilateral trade volume, says Finnish foreign minister

By Yunus Turk

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye and Finland aim to reach $5 billion in bilateral trade “as soon as possible” after having reached $2.9 billion this year, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen told Anadolu.

Valtonen said that Finland’s friendship with Türkiye dates back to a century, as the two nations have been allies and close trade partners.

“So, there’s a lot that we share, even though we are a little bit further away geographically, (and) obviously, Finland has been supporting Türkiye’s path towards the European Union,” she said.

Valtonen stated that improving trade conditions and reforming the Customs Union are of importance, as she noted that “there’s so much we can do with fantastic companies … through innovation, through trade, … and also in services, but what is ever so important also is investment into the future, and that's where we see a lot of potential on both sides.”

“Of course, there’s always a pathway to achieve all those reforms that countries have to go through in order to achieve (EU) membership, and we have been strongly … promoting that,” she said.

“In this time and place, where, unfortunately, there’s war waging in Europe and … in the Middle East, now is the time to really take also the geostrategic viewpoint into this, and also in this regard, we do value Türkiye as a fantastically important partner and hopefully in the future an EU member as well,” she added.

- Finnish investors show interest in Türkiye

Valtonen stated that Finnish investors show interest in Türkiye, and she has invited Turkish companies to Slush 2024, a Finnish startup conference to be held in Helsinki in November.

“It’s a fantastic place to bring your innovation, whether you’re a small company, larger company to pitch …, because all of the investors around the world are going to be there (to) find the best partners to take your ideas forward,” she said.

Valtonen noted that the ministry expects the number of Finnish firms operating in Türkiye to increase significantly in the coming years, with work underway to make it happen.

She said she touched upon bilateral relations, developments in the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine war, and Türkiye’s path to EU membership during her visit to Türkiye along with the Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim