Finnish FM arrives in Erbil following Baghdad visit, to meet top KRG officials

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto on Thursday arrived in the Kurdistan Region capital of Erbil, following a series of meetings in Baghdad with senior Iraqi officials.

In Erbil, the head of the region's Department of Foreign Relations, Safeen Dizayee, welcomed the Finnish official at the Erbil International Airport. The Kurdistan Region Interior Minister, Rebar Ahmed, and several other officials were also present.

Minister Haavisto then met with the Kurdistan Region President, Nechirvan Barzani and later held talks with Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

Among the leading topics of discussions would be further developing Helsinki-Erbil ties, foreign investment in the Kurdistan Region, and Finnish support for the autonomous region's fight against the coronavirus disease, an informed source told Kurdistan 24.

Finland is part of the International Anti-ISIS Coalition and has dozens of military advisers based in Erbil training the Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga forces.

Baghdad Meetings

In Baghdad, Haavisto held discussions with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, who welcomed the reopening of the Finnish Embassy. During a joint press conference, Hussein affirmed Baghdad's hopes to develop bilateral ties and eagerness to have Finnish companies partake in Iraq's reconstruction efforts.

In November of 2019, Finland announced it was reopening its embassy in Iraq, closed for nearly 30 years, as part of efforts to develop bilateral relations, the Associated Press reported then. The Scandinavian country is home to tens of thousands of Iraqis and Kurds.

The head of the Finnish mission office in Baghdad, Vesa Häkkinen, presented his credentials to Iraqi President Barham Salih in December.

The Finnish minister also sat down with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Kadhimi commended "Finland's positive positions in support of Iraq in the political, economic, and security fields," a statement from the top official's office said. He also expressed "optimism about the future of bilateral relations between the two countries, and between Iraq and the European Union in general."