Leading the biggest trade delegation ever dispatched to a foreign country, Finnish Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Lenita Toivakka fielded questions from reporters in a press conference held in Tehran on December 9.
At the outset of the press conference, the Finnish minister very briefly introduced parts of the trade delegation accompanying her, saying that Finnish companies are from different sectors such as forestry, water resource management, waste management, health, technology, infrastructure, energy efficiency, information and communications technology, and construction.
According to Toivakka, all these fields are important in order to deepen bilateral cooperation between Iran and Finland, noting that Finnish companies are so much interested in launching joint projects with Iranian counterparts now that her country is talking to the post-sanctions Iran.
To the Finnish minister, the way for establishing bilateral economic cooperation is already paved by cordial political ties between Iran and Finland, a relationship which is characterized by trust and faith.
Iranian markets are charming for Finnish traders as Iran is a rapidly growing economy with many potentialities, Toivakka highlighted in her remarks.
Inquired about the kind of help Finland can provide Iran with in the field of water resources management, Toivakka was simultaneously positive and hesitant. Positive since, according to her, there has been already relevant talks on the issue, and hesitant as she thought that there would be a need for further discussion in this regard.
The minister also expressed hope that with the February visit of Minister of Agriculture and the Environment Kimmo Tiilikainen and his accompanying trade delegation, there would be much environmental and agricultural cooperation between Iran and Finland.
Elsewhere in her remarks, the minister referred to cooperation between the two countries in educational fields and noted that given the brilliance and excellence of world-class Finnish universities, her country has already been cooperating with Iran and will welcome further cooperation, especially in the field of teacher training.
Moreover, the minister, being an entrepreneur herself, held that in the Finnish society, women’s presence in the working life is very dominant, something which she deemed necessary for the Iranian economy, too, if full economic boom is expected.
One day before the press conference, the Finnish minister held talks with top Iranian officials, including Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Mohammad Reza Ne’matzadeh, where the two sides emphasized strengthened bilateral economic ties.
Trade between Tehran and Helsinki has contracted from a high of $200 million in 2006 to a low of $23 million in 2014 due to economic sanctions imposed against Iran over the country’s nuclear program.
Now with the nuclear pact clinched between Iran and world powers on July 14, European countries are seeking investment avenues in the post-sanctions Iran.