Message from Aapo Pölhö,

Ambassador of Finland in India

Arriving at the Finnish Embassy creates an illusion of suddenly entering Finland in the heart of Delhi. The architecture by Raili and Reima Pietilä, as well as the relative silence of New Delhi’s diplomatic enclave give a distant reflection of the spirit and soul of the faraway Finland. But there is no risk of drifting too far in this illusion – right around the corner one encounters the first overloaded auto rickshaw giving a reminder of where this little piece of Finland is actually located. India is at the moment undergoing a historical change. She is in the process of taking the political and economic place in the world that she deserves. The overall task of the Finnish Embassy in India is to promote the interests of Finland and Finns in India and in other countries falling into our field of responsibility. For the moment, our highest priorities are promoting the commercial and economic ties between Finland and India, as well as supporting co-operation in the fields of science, technology, and education. Moreover, we attach special importance to the follow-up of the multidimensional political developments in the world’s largest democracy. In addition, we are highlighting Finland’s strengths also in more general terms, and facilitating actors of different sectors to network among themselves. Contacts to the media as well as cultural activities are important tools in this work. On a more concrete note, the perhaps most visible part of our work is issuing visas for people travelling to Finland – the numbers of which, by the way, are at the moment growing delightfully fast. Besides India, our field of responsibility covers also Bangladesh. The importance of India is undergoing historical change both globally and from the point of view of Finland. Our Embassy hopefully offers you a good window into the rapidly developing Indo-Finnish relations, as well as into Finland in general. However, if you have questions in your mind, do get in touch with us. It will be a pleasure for me and my team to be of help.