Finland Prime Minister to visit India tomorrow

New Delhi, Mar 9: Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen will begin a week-long official visit to India from tomorrow to explore trade and business opportunities and hold discussions with Indian leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The visit of the Finnish Prime Minister is significant as Finland assumes Presidency of the European Union (EU) in the second half of 2006.

The India-EU Summit and the Business Summit are also scheduled to take place during the Finnish Presidency.

The Finnish Prime Minister, who arrives in Chennai tomorrow, will inaugurate a Nokia plant there and come to Delhi on March 13 after visiting Agra.

In Delhi he will have discussions with the Prime Minister, who will host a dinner in his honour.

Mr Vanhanen will also meet UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Communication and Information and Technology Minister Dayanidhi Maran, Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T.R. Baalu, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and Leader of Opposition L K Advani.

He will address a business luncheon meeting co-hosted by Assocham, CII and FICCI.

He will be accompanied by Mrs Susanna Huovinen, Minister of Transport and Communication, senior officials and and a high-level business delegation.

''The bilateral visit assumes importance in view of our increasing economic engagement with Finland which will assume Presidency of EU in the second half of the year,'' a spokesman of the External Affairs Ministry said.

Bilateral trade with Finland was at Euro 407.8 million Euros (1:2 in favour of Finland). Presently, there are about 30 Finnish joint ventures and 70 other Finnish companies have appointed local agents in India.

Large manufacturers like Nokia, Kone Elevators, Wartsila Diesel India Ltd., Ahlstron (machinery for pulp and paper), Elcoteq (sophisticated machinery) etc. have already set-up their manufacturing facilities in different parts of India, though Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra remain their favourite destinations.

About Rs 300 crore have been invested by Finnish companies in India.

Finland has also evinced considerable interest in sectors like ship building, port development and road construction.

India's interests in cooperation with Finland extend to areas like energy, environment management and sustainable forestry.

The last visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Finland was in 1983 by Mrs Indira Gandhi while the last Finnish Prime Minister who visited India was Mr. Kalevi Sorsa in 1984.

UNI