FINLAND & PALESTINE Proceedings of a Joint Workshop

ladies and Gentlemen,
We have gathered for this seminar in order to discuss the history
and future of Palestinian-Finnish relations as well as the
current political situation in the Middle East.
It is easy for me to state that the relations between the Palestinians
and the people of Finland have, throughout the decades,
been excellent. The Palestinians and Finns - being two
small peoples - have always felt sympathy for each other and
this has been clearly reflected in our relations.
Finland established a Representative Office to the Palestinian
Authority in Ramallah at the beginning of 1999. We can today
celebrate the 10 th Anniversary of our Representative Office.
During these years, we have witnessed the deepening of the
mutual relationship between the Palestinian Authority and the
Government of Finland. Our political leaders and high civil servants
meet each other frequently, bilaterally and in different
international fora. There is an active involvement of civil society
in promoting the dialogue between our two peoples.
During the past decade, the tasks of the Representative Office
have grown, and the number of its personnel has increased.
The central tasks of our Ramallah colleagues is to continue
developing our bilateral political, commercial and cultural relations
as well as to ensure the effective delivery of Finland's
development and humanitarian aid to the West Bank and
Gaza. In addition to our bilateral cooperation, Finland, as a
member of the European Union, channels funds through its
different funds and programmes to help the Palestinians. We
have, also, an active cooperation with other relevant international
organisations - like the World Bank - in order to provide
development aid.
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