New Delhi, February 19
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Thursday said he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to "double trade" between the two nations and to enhance the bilateral relations and cooperation during their meeting on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, noting the "huge potential" in expanding trade and technological collaboration.
Speaking to ANI, the Finnish PM described the meeting with PM Modi as "very good and fruitful," noting that both leaders discussed deepening ties in areas such as trade, digitalisation, sustainability and technology.
"The meeting was very good and fruitful. I am very satisfied with the meeting and the results. We discussed bilateral relations between India and Finland, which are in very good shape. We can even deepen cooperation, for example, in trade, which was our second request. Now that we have a trade deal between India and the European Union, we have a huge potential to increase our trade. We actually decided to double the trade between India and Finland. We can do it together. Both countries have high technology, and we are into digitalisation and sustainability. Finland has a lot of companies which are the best in the world in these fields," he said.
Highlighting India's rapid economic growth, Orpo said Finland has strong companies with expertise to offer India, and cooperation could benefit multiple sectors.
He also underlined the role of artificial intelligence (AI), stating that it can be advantageous for the public and private sectors, citizens, and businesses alike.
"I see a huge potential because we have very good companies in Finland and we have so much to offer India. India is growing very fast. Its economy is growing very fast. There is so much space for cooperation," he said.
"AI can benefit all the sectors, both public and private, as it can benefit all the people, all the citizens and all the companies," the Finnish PM added.
Commenting on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Orpo expressed his desire to put an end to the war, which will complete four years this month after Russia's invasion in 2022.
"Ukraine is an independent neighbour of Russia, and so is Finland. That's why it is worrying, and we want to stop the war and killings. All of us, including India, should put more pressure on Russia, not support Russia, and help Ukraine. We need trust and lasting peace in Ukraine," he added.
He also praised India for hosting the AI Impact Summit, calling it a success and a significant platform for global South nations to discuss common solutions in technology and AI governance.
"It was very important that India organised this Summit... a big country from the global south, and the Summit was a success. This issue is very important to find a common solution," the Finnish PM stated.
On Wednesday, PM Modi held "extensive discussions" with the Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo.
In a post on X, he stated that he expressed his gratitude to his Finnish counterpart for his support for the conclusion of the India-EU FTA last month.
"Thanked him for his personal support to the India-EU FTA, which ushers in a golden era in India-Europe relations. India and Finland aim to double trade, thus giving a strong boost to economic linkages. We also talked about enhancing cooperation in futuristic technologies like 6G, innovation, clean energy, biofuels, circular economy and more," his post read.
- ANI
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