The visit of Alexander Stubb, President of Finland, to India (March 4-7) was rated as significant for several reasons. It was a state visit laden with elaborate protocol. He was also the chief guest at the Raisina Dialogue, the foreign ministry’s flagship platform for global interaction. His visit overlapped with the visit of his country’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to India – a rare instance of both the highest levels of Finnish leadership visiting India within a brief period.
Despite its small population of 5 million and limited geographic size (65th in the world), Finland is an advanced industrial economy with a per capita income of over $54,000. It stands among the front-ranking nations in technology, particularly AI and telecommunications. Its delegation, led by PM Orpo, was active at the AI Impact Summit hosted by India. Finland is having its moment in the sun: International awareness of Finland’s importance increased tremendously after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war when in April 2023 Helsinki abandoned its traditional neutrality and consciously chose to join NATO as a full member.
The Indian establishment as well as national and international media, had an opportunity to gain a first-hand glimpse of Finland’s worldview as President Stubb delivered the inaugural address at the Raisina Dialogue on March 5, in the presence of PM Narendra Modi. He rejected the notion that the liberal world order was dead. “The fact that the rules are broken,” he insisted, “does not make all the system null and void any more than someone getting caught for speeding makes speeding limits irrelevant.” He conceded, however, that the world order was changing; the global balance of power had shifted; and the Western-dominated world may be replaced by one shaped by the Global South and a country such as India. He generously depicted India “as a major power.”
Stubb strongly articulated his refusal to believe that “the future will only belong to two great powers.” Asserting that this should not be allowed, he called for a multipolar order and for reform in the UN, WTO, and Bretton Woods institutions. An advocate of a dignified foreign policy, he underlined the need to create an atmosphere of dialogue and engagement with one another on an equal footing and with respect.
The two governments readily agreed to elevate bilateral relations to the level of Strategic Partnership in Digitalisation and Sustainability. A cross-sectoral working group on digitalisation will be set up, and it is expected to produce concrete, substantial actions. AI-related domains and space tech will be accorded priority. On sustainability, the focus on cooperation will be in areas such as ocean energy solutions, biofuels, smart grids, and green hydrogen with a joint working group given the task to drive future dialogue and the crafting of cooperation schemes. Finland has globally recognised expertise in clean technology and renewable energy, which are priorities for India.
Finland’s clear support for upholding a rules-based international order and for India’s permanent membership of the reformed UN Security Council was welcomed by India. In line with the EU policy approach, Finland aligned itself with India in promoting “a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific” with a brief reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – a joint coded signal sent to China. India welcomed Finland’s decision to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, which is still awaiting a real take-off. An agreement on strengthening cooperation in Arctic-related areas was signed.
But there were differences too, such as the West Asian conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war. Both issues were discussed, but divergences in their perspectives were evident in the joint statement’s limited mention of them.
Three MOUs were signed, including one on migration and mobility. Among the eight announcements made at the conclusion of the presidential visit were the resolve to double bilateral trade (currently at $3 billion) by 2030, in line with the conclusion of the historic India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA); creation of a joint task force on 6G; and greater connectivity of the startup ecosystems through the India-Finland Startup Corridor. About 33,000 Indians are in Finland, most of them young professionals working in the IT sector. These agreements will create new opportunities for them. The two sides agreed to co-host a World Circular Economy Forum in India in 2026 and to establish a consular dialogue between the two foreign ministries to focus on citizen-centric issues like visa facilitation and extraditions. After completing his programme in Delhi, the president visited Mumbai, met the chief minister of Maharashtra, and addressed a business event and students at Mumbai University.
As the MEA stated, the official visit, with its focus on the three Ts – Trade, Technology, and Talent – was “very substantive and productive.”
The real significance of Stubb’s visit lies in the confirmation that India and Europe are on the same page geopolitically, despite certain differences in their global outlooks.
Rajiv Bhatia is the Distinguished Fellow for Foreign Policy Studies and a former ambassador.
This article was first published in Hindustan Times.