HELSINKI: In an interview with Arab News, Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen discussed Saudi-Finnish ties, the recognition of the Palestinian state, and the results of the 2024 World Happiness Report which ranked the Nordic country in the top spot for the seventh year in a row.

“I think we have had intensifying ties in the trade side for some years now, and we have especially taken notice of the Vision 2030 plans of Saudi Arabia,” Valtonen told Arab News.

“We also see that Finland and our terrific companies should and could have a significant role in the implementation … especially (in) bringing expertise,” she added.

The foreign minister highlighted “renewable energies, energy technologies, water usage,” and “high-end technologies like critical infrastructure, 5.5G, 6G, artificial intelligence, and quantum” as areas of potential cooperation.

“There’s quite a bit we can do, together,” noted Valtonen.

“We are already doing quite a bit, but we can do, so much more in the future,” she added. “We look forward to having Saudi Arabia as a credible partner and also tackling all the geopolitical challenges that we’re facing.”

We look forward to having Saudi Arabia as a credible partner and also tackling all the geopolitical challenges that we’re facing.

Elina Valtonen, Finnish Foreign Minister

Speaking about other important areas of bilateral relations, Valtonen said: “Finland is always a staunch supporter of human rights, and the role of women, and that’s also something which we would like to partner up with … in relation to trade and all the other, positive relationships we have with Saudi Arabia.”

Discussing regional stability, the foreign minister commended the Kingdom for its work in recent months, stating: “We have appreciated the constructive role of Saudi Arabia when it comes to the situation in the Middle East.”

As the Israel-Hamas war wages on, many countries have shifted their positions towards the recognition of Palestine and the need for a two-state solution.

Valtonen underlined that when she says there needs to be a two-state solution, that implies that “there will (be a) need, or there is a need, for a Palestinian state and its recognition.”

Expanding on Finland’s stance on the recognition of Palestine, she added: “That is something that Finland will be looking at and is looking at because it’s more a question of, you know, when rather than if.

“Now we do see that many of our peers have already recognized or are moving in that direction,” Valtonen said. “So obviously we are monitoring the situation closely, but we would like to find the perfect time which really could also send the right signal because it's an irreversible step. And we do see that it also needs to be that way.”

She emphasized that Finland has called for an immediate ceasefire for months and the “unconditional” release of all hostages.

“We hope that there could be a deal as soon as possible on this,” the foreign minister stressed, adding that the country is hoping for a “more permanent ceasefire and negotiations for the two-state solution.

“Finland’s long-standing position has been that there needs to be a two-state model for ending the crisis and for having a peaceful long-term solution.”

During the interview, she also discussed Finland’s top ranking as the “Happiest Country in the World,” according to the 2024 World Happiness Report, for the seventh year in a row.

The report weighs a few categories when ranking the happiest countries globally such as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and freedom from corruption.

The foreign minister credited Finland as the happiest nation in the world based on “stable democracy, the rule of law, human rights and equality.”

She said: “The Finnish mindset is that, independent of your background you know you can achieve anything in your life, whether you (are a) girl, boy, whether you’re born here or elsewhere, (regardless of) your religion.”

Valtonen added that based on their education a person can chase their ambitions in the labor market.

She explained that these are the factors that make Finland the happiest country in the world, coupled with its “tranquility, nature and, peace.

“We Finns, we take pride in that, in this country, you can trust everybody,” she concluded.