Joint Reception on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations Between Singapore and Finland, 5 October 2023

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Education and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Maliki Osman co-hosted a joint reception with Finnish State Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence Lauri Tierala to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Finland this year. The reception was held at the historic Engel Hall in the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Helsinki and was attended by over 80 guests, including Overseas Singaporeans living in Finland and other Finnish officials from the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and Culture, National Agency for Education, and Business Finland.

In his remarks delivered during the reception, Minister Maliki noted that Singapore and Finland shared many similarities and like-mindedness that make the two countries natural partners. Bilaterally, Singapore and Finland enjoy good cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, research and development, education, urban planning and social policies. Multilaterally, Singapore and Finland are members of ASEAN and the EU respectively, and the EU is a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN. Both countries are also members of the Forum of Small States and the Global Governance Group (3G) at the United Nations. The joint reception was therefore both a culmination as well as a celebration of the last 50 years of bilateral cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, building on earlier commemorative activities such as the tree-planting activities at the Singapore Botanic Gardens in Singapore and Kalasatama Park in Helsinki.

The joint reception was held in conjunction with Minister Maliki’s study visit to Finland to learn more about Finland’s inclusive approach for students with special education needs; early childhood education; technical and vocational education and training; and lifelong learning. During the visit, Minister Maliki also called on Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Her Excellency Elina Valtonen and witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ITE Singapore and the Turku Vocational Institute. Minister Maliki was accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, and ITE Singapore.

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Transcript of Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Education, and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Maliki Osman’s Remarks at the Joint Reception

Mr Lauri Tierala, State Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence

Professor Cheong Koon Hean, Ambassador of Singapore to Finland,

Dr Karl Heikki Kyöstilä, Honorary Consul-General of Singapore in Helsinki,

Fellow Singaporeans,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies, and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to be here at tonight’s reception to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Finland this year. I would like to thank State Secretary Tierala and the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the gracious hospitality and agreeing to co-host tonight’s reception, so that we can celebrate this significant milestone together.

Even though we are located far from each other, Singapore and Finland share many similarities. Our populations are about the same size – around five and a half million people for Finland, and close to six million for Singapore – although geographically Finland is much larger than Singapore. Our economies are highly industrialised with a highly skilled workforce; and we believe in and firmly support multilateralism and free trade. These similarities and like-mindedness make Singapore and Finland natural partners – both bilaterally as well as at multilateral fora like the UN.

Multilaterally, Singapore and Finland are members of ASEAN and the EU respectively, and the EU is a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN. Our countries are also members of the Forum of Small States and the Global Governance Group (3G) at the UN, where we work together to champion issues of concern to small states. Bilaterally, we enjoy good cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, research and development, education, urban planning and social policies.

In fact, I am visiting Finland under my separate ‘hat’ as Second Minister for Education to learn more about Finland’s education system, in particular Finland’s inclusive approach for students with special education needs; early childhood education; technical and vocational education and training; and lifelong learning. I am therefore happy to share that accompanying me is a delegation from Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education (ITE), who will be renewing their partnership with the Turku Vocational Institute.

Besides ITE, our Institutes of Higher Learning such as the National University of Singapore and the Singapore University of Technology and Design also have regular exchanges with Finnish higher education institutes. Just last year, a group of students from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music came to the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki to learn from renowned Finnish conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste.

Singaporeans are also familiar with Finnish products and your beautiful landscapes. Many of us will remember owning a Nokia as our first mobile phone with voice activated technology to make calls. Lapland always comes to mind when Singaporeans want to travel to see the Northern Lights.

Tonight’s reception is therefore both a culmination as well as a celebration of the last 50 years of bilateral cooperation and the excellent people-to-people exchanges between our two countries. It also builds on other commemorative activities that have taken place over the year, such as the tree-planting activities at the historic Singapore Botanic Gardens in Singapore and Kalasatama Park in Helsinki. The trees not only symbolise our flourishing bilateral ties but are also testament to Singapore and Finland’s shared commitment towards sustainability and climate conservation. I encourage you to visit the trees if you are at the Singapore Botanic Gardens or Kalasatama Park.

Before I wrap up my remarks, I am pleased to note that tonight we will also enjoy a piano performance by a fellow Singaporean: Jeremy Wong and his partner, Chen Qu. Jeremy is an accomplished pianist and doctoral candidate at the Sibelius Academy at the University of the Arts in Helsinki, and one of the many Singaporeans who have come to Finland to live, work, and study. Jeremy, together with every Singaporean in Finland, play important roles as our ambassadors on the ground, promoting cross-cultural and people-to-people ties between Singapore and Finland. I hope they will continue to play this role and help strengthen Singapore-Finland relations for the next 50 years and more.

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About Singapore-Finland Relations

Singapore and Finland established diplomatic relations on 7 February 1973. Our political leaders have had regular exchanges on the sidelines of international fora, with Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan meeting Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Her Excellency Elina Valtonen on the sidelines of the 78^th United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2023. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Education, and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Maliki Osman met Minister Valtonen at the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in October 2023.

There are more than 200 Finnish companies in Singapore, including Neste Oil, the world’s largest supplier of renewable diesel, and Nokia. Our education institutes have forged partnerships with Finnish institutes of higher education and with regular exchanges between students of both countries.

Finland is also a strong supporter of Singapore’s observership at the Arctic Council. We have collaborated with the Finnish Embassy and the Canadian High Commission to organise the “Ice in the Tropics” seminar and photo exhibition in November 2017 to raise public awareness on Arctic issues in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Singapore is represented by Non-Resident Ambassador to Finland Professor Cheong Koon Hean, and our Honorary Consul-General in Helsinki Dr Karl Heikki Kyöstilä. Finland is represented in Singapore by Ambassador-designate Juha Markkanen since September 2023.

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Minister Maliki with distinguished guests at the joint reception

[L to R: Finnish Undersecretary of State for International Trade Jarno Syrjälä, Ambassador-designate to Singapore Juha Markkanen, Ambassador to Finland Professor Cheong Koon Hean, Minister Maliki Osman, State Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence Lauri Tierala, Honorary Consul-General of Singapore in Helsinki Dr Karl Heikki Kyöstilä and partner Tuula Laaksonen]

Photo credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore

Minister Maliki with Singaporeans in Finland   at the reception, along with Trade Counsellor at the Finnish Embassy in Singapore Irma Ylikangas and Finnish Special Envoy for Ukraine Reconstruction and former Ambassador to Singapore Antti Vänskä.

Photo credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore