Embassy of India

India-Finland Bilateral Relations

Overview

India and Finland have traditionally enjoyed warm and friendly relations. The diplomatic relations between India and Finland was established in 1949, with the year 2024 marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations. Finland has a Consulate in Mumbai with Honorary Consulates in Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. In recent years, bilateral relations have acquired diversity with collaboration in research, innovation, and investments by both sides. The Indian community in Finland is vibrant and well- placed. India Finland relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership in Digitalization and Sustainability during the visit of President Alexander Stubb to India in March 2026.

High-level visits

Head of State level
From India to Finland	From Finland to India
President Shri Pranab Mukherjee: October 2014 President Shri R. Venkataraman in 1988 President Shri V.V. Giri in 1971	State Visit of President Dr. Alexander Stubb (04-07 March 2026) President Mrs. Tarja Halonen in January 2007, February 2009 and February 2012 State Visit of President Mr. Martti Ahtisaari in 1996 President Mr. Mauno Koivisto in 1987 President Mr. Urho Kekkonen in 1965

Head of Government level
From India to Finland	From Finland to India
Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh in 2006 Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1983 Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru in 1957	Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, (17-20 Feb. 2026) to attend the AI Impact Summit Prime Minister Mr. Juha Sipilä: Feb 2016 (for Make in India week) Prime Minister Mr. Matti Vanhanen in March 2006, February 2008 and February 2010 (last two occasions to attend Delhi Sustainable Development Summit) Prime Minister Mr. Kalevi Sorsa in 1984 Prime Minister Mr. Vieno Johannes Sukselainen in 1960

High-level exchanges
PM of India & Finnish President Alexander Stubb also met on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in November 2025. PM of India had a telephonic conversation with Finnish President Alexander Stubb on 16 April 2025, following a request from the Finnish side. Subsequently, on 27 August 2025, PM Narendra Modi again received a telephone call from Finnish President Alexander Stubb. PM of India and PM Petteri Orpo joined the table company at the dinner of the AI Summit held in Paris on 11 Feb 2025. The high-level bilateral Summit was between India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sanna Marin in a virtual format on 16 March 2021. The two Prime Ministers announced a Digital Partnership in Future ICT; Future Mobile Technologies and Digital Education; a High-Level Dialogue in education and a Sustainability Partnership involving Renewable and Clean Energy, Circular Economy, and Sustainable Mobility and noted that green growth is an essential element of bilateral cooperation.
Nordic Summit Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met Mr. Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland on the sidelines of the 03rd India -Nordic Summit in Oslo (19 May 2026). Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met Ms. Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland, in Copenhagen on the sidelines of the 2nd India-Nordic Summit on 4 May 2022. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met with the Prime Minister of Finland, Juha Sipilä on the sidelines of the First India-Nordic Summits on 17 April 2018 in Stockholm.

Foreign Minister level visits
From India to Finland	From Finland to India
Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister visited Finland on 11-12 June 2026 to participate in 14th edition of the Kultaranta Talks, on the theme “A World in Transition: Global, Regional and Local Perspectives”. He also held bilateral meetings with President Stubb and FM Valtonen during the visit. Dr S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India from 19 - 21 September 2019 visited Finland on the occasion of 70 Years of diplomatic relation and the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi Shri Jaswant Singh, External Affairs Minister of India in December 1999 for the 12th EU Troika Ministerial Meeting	Ms. Elina Valtonen, Foreign Minister visited New Delhi in February 2024 to attend the Raisina Dialogue and to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations. On this occasion a logo was jointly inaugurated Foreign Minister Mr. Pekka Haavisto visited India in November 2019 leading a business delegation. Foreign Minister Mr. Timo Soini, Foreign Minister of Finland visited India from 22-24 November, 2017 for fourth Global Conference on Cyber Security (GCCS) in New Delhi Foreign Minister Dr. Erkki Tuomioja, in May 2013

Foreign Minister level exchanges
EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar had informal exchange with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Ms. Elina Valtonen during his visit to Brussels for the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in March 2026. On 30 August 2025, EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar had a telecon with FM Elina Valtonen. EAM and President Alexander Stubb joined conversation on ‘Exception and Exceptionalism: Deciphering the 2025 World Order’ at the Munich Security Conference on 15 February 2025. To commemorate 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Finland, a joint logo was unveiled by Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. S. Jaishankar and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Ms. Elina Valtonen during the visit of latter to India on 21 & 22 February 2024. EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar had four interactions with former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto in 2022 - a telephone conversation on 19 January 2022 on bilateral issues, as well as on the situation in Afghanistan and working together as members of UNHRC, meeting on 19 February 2022 on the margins on the Munich Security Conference followed by another meeting on 23 September 2022 on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York and finally a telephone conversation on 5 October 2022 on multilateral agenda.

Parliamentary Exchanges
From India to Finland	From Finland to India
Ms. Sumitra Mahajan, Speaker Lok Sabha visited Helsinki, Finland on June 17-18, 2018 accompanied by six Members of Parliament Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker (Lok Sabha) in June 2006 Mr. Manohar Joshi, Speaker (Lok Sabha) in 2003 Mr. P.A. Sangma, Speaker (Lok Sabha) in 1997 Mr. Balram Jhakar, Speaker (Lok Sabha) in 1986 Mr. G.S. Dhillon, Speaker (Lok Sabha) visited Finland in 1957	A Commerce Committee of the Parliament comprising 7 Finnish MPs visited India from 9-14 September 2024 and met with Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Finnish Parliament’s Environment Committee delegation on 19-26 November 2023 Finnish Parliament’s Finance Committee delegation led by Mr. Johannes Koskinen visited India from 23-27 February 2020. Mr. Eero Heinäluoma, Speaker of Parliament visited India in April, 2012
The Finnish Parliament has a Parliamentary Friendship Group (PFG) for India for the period 2023-26 comprising of 22 Members.

Other Ministerial visits since 2016
Mr. Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industry alongwith a business delegation visited Finland from 16-17 July, 2026. Mr. Bhagwant Mann, Chief Minister of Punjab, 21-24 April 2026. Mr. Parvesh Sahib Singh, Hon’ble Minister (Irrigation & Flood Control Department), Govt. of NCT of Delhi, 21-25 October 2025 Mr. Sharath Kumar Bache Gowda, Chairman, KEONICS & MLA, Government of Karnataka on 02-03 September 2025 Mr. Raju Basnet, Minister of Education, Government of Sikkim visited Finland from 22-28 April 2025 Mr. Ville Tavio, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development on 22-23 November 2023 Ms. Anna-Maja Henriksson, Minister of Education visited India from 16-20 October 2023 Ms. Sari Essayah, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry visited India from 15-17 October 2023 Ms. Terhi Lehtonen, Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change visited India from 22-24 February 2023. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari visited India from 8-10 February 2023. Mr. Thiru Thangam Thennarasu, Minister for Industries, Government of Tamil Nadu visited Finland on 23-26 April 2023 Minister of Employment of Finland, Ms. Tuula Haatainen visited India with a Team Finland delegation to Delhi and Mumbai on 12 – 17 December 2022. A Joint Declaration of Intent on Migration and Mobility was signed during the visit. Another MOU was signed between Business Finland and Confederation of Indian Industry with the aim of increasing the mobility of experts between the two countries. Mr. Thiru T. Mano Thangaraj, Minister of IT, Government of Tamil Nadu visited Finland on 17-18 November 2022 Mr. Petri Honkonen, Minister of Science and Culture on 13-18 November 2022 Minister of Economic Affairs of Finland, Mr. Mika Lintilä visited India with a Team Finland business delegation from 18 - 22 April 2022. Both sides reached an agreement on setting up Virtual Centre for Excellence in Quantum Computing. Minister of Employment, Mr. Timo Harakka, visited India from 18-22 November 2019 to explore opportunities in Smart Mobility, Digitalization and AI. Ms. Anne-Mari Virolainen, Finland's Minister of Trade and Development visited India from 29 November - 2 December 2018 accompanied by 25 companies Karnataka's Minister of IT, biotech and S & T, Shri K J George visited Finland on 26 August 2018. Mr. Kimmo Tiilikainen, Minister of Housing, Energy and Environment on 18-21 April, 2018 Ms. Anne Berner, Minister for Transport and Communications visited India on 13-14 November, 2017. Shri M.J. Akbar, Minister of State for External Affairs visited Finland from 5-7 November, 2017. Mr. Kimmo Tiilikainen, Minister of Housing, Energy and the Environment visited India 3-5 October, 2017 Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines visited Finland from 3-5 November, 2016.

Bilateral Institutional Mechanisms

Foreign Office Consultations: Discussions on bilateral matters, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest are held regularly. The 13th FOC was held in Helsinki on 06 November 2025 led by Mr. Sibi George, Secretary (West) and Mr. Jukka Salovaara, Finland’s Permanent Secretary of State.

Joint Economic Commission: The 21st Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation Meeting between India and Finland took place on 17th October 2024. The Indian delegation was led by Shri L. Satya Srinivas, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India, while Mr. Jari Sinkari, Director General of the Department for Asia and Oceania, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, co-chaired the meeting from the Finnish side. The JEC agreed to an Action Plan on cooperation across different sectors.

Joint Science and Technology Committee - 5th Joint Science and Technology Committee meeting at Secretary level was held in Finland on 24 September 2024. India and Finland reviewed ongoing collaboration and opportunities for enhancing co-operation in Basic and Applied Research.

JWG on Sustainability Partnership – A Joint Working Group on Sustainability Partnership is formed between the two countries and the first meeting between them held on 12 March 2025. The second meeting was held on 15 May 2025 and discussed to identify the potential areas of cooperation.

JWG on Renewable Energy - 4th Meeting of Joint Working Group on Renewable Energy was convened on 20 August 2024 at Joint Secretary level in virtual format. Both sides explored opportunities in Solar, Wind, Bioenergy, Flexible Power Systems, and Green Hydrogen and reaffirmed their commitment to global clean energy goals.

DESI (Digitalization, Education, Sustainability, and Innovation) initiative, launched on 20 September 2023, a new framework for a preferred partnership between India and Finland, which stands for Digitalization, Education & Environment, Sustainability, and Innovation aims to have a coherent and focused approach towards a deeper engagement between India and Finland in Artificial Intelligence; Telecommunications (5G and 6G); Quantum Computing, developing Smart and Sustainable Energy Infrastructure, Teachers´ training; Vocational Education and Skill Development; Edu tech, supporting the development of joint research and innovation projects, etc.

Economic and Cultural Relations

Bilateral Trade:

Bilateral trade in goods and services stood at approximately USD 3.70 billion in 2025-26, comprising USD 1.69 billion in goods and USD 2.01 billion in Services. The Bilateral Trade grew by approx. 25 % as compared to previous year.

Overall bilateral trade increased by approximately 38.5% over the five-year period, from USD 2.64 billion in FY 2021-22 to USD 3.65 billion in FY 2025-26.

Trade in Goods:

The volume of bilateral trade in goods during the last five years has increased from USD 1220 million (in 2021-22) to USD 1686 million in (2025-26).

(in USD millions)

Particulars	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26
	USD (in Millions)	USD (in Millions)	USD (in Millions)	USD (in Millions)	USD (in Millions)
India´s Export to Finland	344	533	583	356.37	546.90
India´s Import from Finland	876	1492	913	660.70	1139.67
Total Trade (in Goods)	1220	2025	1496	1017	1686.57

(Source: Department of Commerce, India)

India’s goods exports to Finland are led by Organic Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals products, machinery and mechanical appliances, electrical machinery and equipment etc. Its principal imports from Finland comprise electical machinery and Equipment, fertilisers, machinery and mechanical appliances, Paper and paperboard and wood pulp.

Trade in Services

The bilateral trade in services rose by 38.46% over the five years, reaching a record USD 2018.60 million in 2025-26.

(in USD millions)

Year (April-March)	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26
India’s imports from Finland	435.96	799.03	519.84	545.51	447.55
India’s exports to Finland	1021.90	1258.45	1553.02	1398.14	1571.05
Total Trade (in Services)	1457.87	2057.48	2072.86	1943.65	2018.60

(Source: Statistics, Finland)

India’s services exports to Finland are led by R&D and ICT services, while its imports primarily comprise ICT, intellectual property, transport, travel and other business Services.

Finnish Investments in India

For India, Finland ranks 41st in terms of country-wise FDI Equity Inflows into India with total FDI Inflows from Finland till 2023. Finland’s Investments in India has increased to USD 4 billion (approx.) Over 100 Finnish companies have operations in India. Large Finnish companies like Nokia, Kone Elevators, Metso Outotec, Wartsila, UPM, Lindstrom, Fortum, Ahlstrom, Elcoteq, etc. have manufacturing facilities in India. A Joint Venture between Numaligarh Refinery Ltd., Finnish companies, Fortum and Chempolis is building a biorefinery in Assam. India has been a key market for Nokia since 195 and is one of the its top 10 high-growth regions. With global delivery centers in Noida and Chennai, Nokia is India’s largest international telecom infrastructure manufacturer. The company has been actively advancing 6G research with the launch of a lab in Bangalore and continues to play a pivotal role in India’s telecom sector. Metso Outotec inaugurated a new engineering center in Vadodara, Gujarat in 2023. Recent development includes 2025: Hexa Climate Solutions, an Indian company backed by I Squared Capital, acquired Fortum's entire renewable energy portfolio in India, including a 206 MW operational portfolio and a 600 MW project pipeline.

Indian Investment in Finland

Investment flows from India to Finland is over $ 2 billion (approx.) driven by several significant acquisitions and partnerships. Key milestones include early investments in 2006 by WIPRO Technologies, Sasken Communication, Trivitron Healthcare, Mahindra expanded its footprint by acquiring stakes in Holiday Club Resorts and Sampo Rosenlew, a combine harvester manufacturing company. In 2017, Motherson Sumi Systems acquired stake in PKC Group. Infosys followed in 2018 with acquisition of Fluido Oy, while 2022 saw Epsilon Advanced Material partnering with Grafintec Oy, to establish a graphite-based anode production facility. Recent developments include Cyient’s acquisition of Citec in 2-23, Tech Mahindra’s launch of an Innovation Centre in Espoo, and AM Green acquiring a majority stake in Chempolis Oy in 2024. Other significant investments/acquisitions in 2024 include Indian company AM Green Technology and Solutions B.V., part of AM Green Group (AM Green), announcing the signing of agreements to acquire the Finnish biorefining technology developer Chempolis, Oy, its subsidiary Chempolis India Pvt. Ltd. and the Fortum 3 B.V. entities. The aim is to produce 0.5 million tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) per year by 2027.

Sectoral Developments

Education -A High-Level Dialogue on cooperation in Education between India and Finland was held virtually on 31 January 2024 at Secretary level. A joint statement encompassing the cooperation in matters like Early to Senior Secondary Education; Higher Education Student Mobility; Skill Development etc. was issued. The State Council of Educational Research and Training, Government of Punjab, signed an agreement for cooperation in education development with the University of Turku, Finland, on September 26, 2024. Both sides agreed to cooperate in Professional Teachers Training Programme focusing on early childhood and primary education, gaining insights into pedagogical approaches etc. A group of approx. 70 teachers from Punjab visited Turku in October 2024 and March 2025.

Digitalisation - A Joint Declaration of Intent signed between MEITY and Minister of Economy in Finland on cooperation in the field of Digitalisation was signed in November 2019 to cooperate in the areas of digital development, strengthening collaboration in the fields of eGovernment, m-Governance, smart infrastructure, eHealth and e-Education, promoting emerging technologies such as AI, Cloud Computing, Big Data, Internet of Things, Blockchain, etc., promoting cooperation in Electronics Systems Design and Manufacturing, among other things.

Cyber Security - CERT India signed an MoU in January 2019 for collaboration with National Cyber Security Centre, Finland for exchange of information on cyber threats and improve capacity to prevent and resolve cyber security incidents. CERT-India and Traficom agreed to exchange information, participate in seminars/events and some technical cooperation.

Environment - The Ministries of Environment of India and Finland signed an MoU for Cooperation in November 2020 and renewed in 2026. There are successful partnerships from 2004 between Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), India Meteorological Department (IMD) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in air quality including capacity building.

Startup Ecosystem - India and Finland are among the top Start-up ecosystems in the world. India has emerged as the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world after the US and China and the pace of growth is not showing any signs of slowing down. In 2024, India added three unicorns every month taking the total count to 51, ahead of UK (32) and Germany (18). Keeping these convergences in mind, an India-Finland Tech Hub has been created to bring both ecosystems together. Indian Startup firms have also been participating at SLUSH since 2017. 26 Indian Startups were represented at in SLUSH 2025 event held in Helsinki on 19 & 20 November 2025.

Mobility - MoU on Migration and Mobility Partnership signed between Ministry of External Affairs and Finnish Ministry of Employment in March, 2026.

Statistics - MoU on cooperation in the field of statistics between National Statistics Organisation and Statistics Finland is signed on 04 March 2026.

Cultural Relations

Indian culture enjoys significant popularity in Finland, with several Indian dance schools and yoga centers actively promoting cultural engagement. Various Indian associations organize regular cultural events that highlight Indian dance and music, spanning both classical and contemporary styles. These activities foster a vibrant connection between the Indian and Finnish communities. Embassy of India has been organizing key events such as the International Day of Yoga. A lifesize statue of Mahatma Gandhi gifted by ICCR to Government of Finland was unveiled by EAM and Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto on 20 September 2019 to mark Gandhi’s 150th anniversary.

Tourism/Travel

The favourite destinations of Finnish tourists are Goa, Kerala, and the Golden Temple, though other destinations are also becoming popular. E-visa’ facility has boosted tourism from Finland. There is a daily direct flight between Helsinki and New Delhi which has encouraged travel between both countries.

Indian Community

There are approximately 33,445 persons of Indian origin living in Finland, comprising around 15,115 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and 18,330 Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs). Most of them live in the capital Helsinki and surrounding regions. A significant number of Indian diasporas are engaged in the Information Technology (IT) sector. The number of Indian students at Finnish universities has grown in recent years. Currently, around 2400 Indian students are pursuing their higher education. Embassy is holding regular interaction with Indian students under ‘Terve-Namaste’ series.

Other Useful Resources:

Embassy of India, Finland
website: www.indembhelsinki.gov.in
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndiaInFinland
Twitter: @IndEmb_Fin
Instagram Account: https:/www.instagram.com/india_in_finland/

(As on 30 July 2026)

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