Mrs Sanna Selin, the new Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, says Nigeria and Finland have a brighter future together through bilateral relations.

The envoy said this during her Finland’s 107 years National Day celebration, which was held on Wednesday night in Abuja.

She said that to promote stronger cooperation, both countries needed to learn from each other to build trust
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According to Selin, the fact that Nigeria and Finland differ in many ways has not and will not prevent both nations from together finding mutual and beneficial solutions to shared challenges.

“The key is to better understand each other and each others’ needs by working tirelessly together to learn from one another and build trust.

“Nigeria and Finland share many common values. We work closely together in multilateral fora for a better world.

“As an Ambassador of Finland to Nigeria, I see our future brighter together”, she said.

Speaking on the Ukraine-Russian war, she said that the long-term aim for the Finnish Foreign Policy had been to promote peace, security, and sustainable development.

She said that for Finland, it was self-evident that supporting Ukraine is the obligation at the current war.

“My grandparents were the generation fighting for the independence and sovereignty of Finland. I am deeply grateful for their sacrifice.

“Ukraine is fighting, not only for its survival, but also defending the rules-based international order.

“From our own historical experience and fight for independence, we know what Ukraine is going through”, she said.

According to Selin, before independence from the Russian empire, all Finnish men and women gained full political rights to be voted and elected.

She said women used their political influence to demand for better school and healthcare for the Finnish people.

“Since 2018, the World Happiness Report has ranked Finland as the happiest country in the world.

“Relevant factors contributing to happiness seem to be Finland’s social safety net combined with personal freedom and a good work-life balance,’” she said.

NAN

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