Finland's Stubb Elevates India Ties to Strategic Partnership on Digital & Sustainability

Taking to X, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "A fruitful visit concludes as President Alexander Stubb of Finland departs India. Warmly seen off by Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani at the airport."

"A defining moment in the Indian-Finland ties as the relationship gets elevated to 'Strategic Partnership in Digitalisation and Sustainability', which will add significant momentum in bilateral relations," it added.

During his India visit this week, Stubb earlier highlighted India and the Global South's growing role in shaping a cooperative, fair and representative multilateral world order.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said that the cooperation between India and Finland will expand in key technology sectors such as artificial intelligence, 5G and 6G telecommunications, advanced data analytics and quantum computing. During the talks with Stubb, both sides also agreed to strengthen research collaboration and promote innovation.

Joint research calls between India's Department of Science and Technology and Finland's innovation funding agency Business Finland will focus on areas such as renewable energy, smart cities, hydrogen technologies, electric vehicles, and waste management.

Earlier, in his address at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi on March 5, Stubb mentioned that the power balance has shifted and the Global South has both demography and economy on its side.

"I mean, here we are in a country which is portraying growth rates of 7 per cent, probably projecting all the way to 2047. And at the same time, it's the biggest democracy in the world. But my argument is that the era of a Western-dominated world is over; that's the disruption. This is obvious, but it will take some time to sink in across the West. Nostalgia can give us lessons, but it rarely provides us with solutions. So, I think that a good starting point to any analysis is to deal with the world as it is, not with a world that we would wish it to be," he added.

Stubb stressed that violence is being used as a foreign policy tool around the world. He spoke about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, West Asia and Sudan and also mentioned his conversations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the UAE President and the Qatar Emir.

He also quoted External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar's earlier remarks about Europe and endorsed them.

"One of my favourite foreign ministers, Dr Jaishankar, has remarked and let me quote once again, 'Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems, but the world's problems are not Europe's problems.'...I wholeheartedly agree with you, Dr Jaishankar. What we need to recognise is that all three examples that I mentioned, Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan, and many other wars and conflicts are all of our problems."

- IANS