India should influence Russia to change course on Ukraine: Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen Premium

Finland urges India to use international influence to support Ukraine's peace plan and combat Russia's aggression.

India should use its international clout to influence Russia to change its course over Ukraine, Finland has urged. In an exclusive interview to The Hindu, Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said, “We would like to see India lend its support to Ukraine’s Peace Formula, which is the only peace plan based on respecting the UN Charter and key principles of international law. The world community needs a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine.”

Why India refused to back the Ukraine summit statement?

“We would prefer to see all parties, including India, use their own international clout to exert influence on Russia to change course and respect the UN Charter. To this end, the European Union (EU) has imposed sanctions against Russia as a means to make Russia stop its aggression. The EU has repeatedly urged all countries not to provide material or other support to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is important that as many partners as possible share our stance, enforce sanctions and combat their circumvention,” she said.

Finland, which is a part of the EU, has imposed sanctions on Russia. “Russia has blatantly violated the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity enshrined in the UN Charter. Upholding these principles is clearly in our common interest. Russia’s war has had tragic repercussions well beyond Ukraine and Europe, undermining the rules-based international system and global security as well as causing economic instability and supply chain disruptions on a global scale, the impacts often being felt the most in the developing nations of the Global South,” she said.

When asked if the country, the largest by land mass in Europe, had received any political asylum request from the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, Ms. Valtonen denied it. “We have not been approached by the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, nor do we have information regarding her future plans. With respect to any possible asylum requests, all applications are processed according to relevant laws and regulations,” she said.

Finland, a leading fintech country, has been wooing international skilled community, particularly from the tech industry to work in Finland. When asked about mobility partnership to attract skilled Indians and to facilitate their entry in the Nordic country, she said, “India is a very important international partner to Finland, and India contributes significantly to Finland’s skilled labour force. India is also one of the partner countries in Finland’s Talent Boost programme for 2023–2027, which aims to attract foreign workforce to Finland and brings together work-based immigration measures such as effective residence permit processes, follow-up control as well as preventing and combating work-based exploitation.”

“Skilled workers from India are coming to work in Finland in many different sectors and thus qualification requirements vary largely depending on the job assignment. This affects the residence permit process,” she said further.