Prime Minister Sipilä to Colombia, Bolivia and Peru
Prime Minister Juha Sipilä will lead a Team Finland trade mission to Colombia on 23–25 October and visit Peru and Bolivia on 25–27 October. The Prime Minister’s visit will include meetings with the countries’ leadership. In Colombia, he will open the Embassy of Finland in Bogotá, marking at the same time the centenary of Finland’s independence.
In Colombia, Minister Sipilä will meet President Juan Manuel Santos and, among others, Minister of Trade María Lorena Gutiérrez, with whom he will discuss the development of the countries’ bilateral and economic relations. The Prime Minister will also attend a seminar, co-organised by Colombian and Finnish companies. The Minister will be accompanied by a delegation representing 15 Finnish companies specialising in education, cleantech and cybertechnology. The following companies will be represented in the Team Finland delegation: Aquamec Ltd/Watermaster, Cimson Oy/NEBA, Claned, Ecomation Oy, Eduexcellence Oy, Finland University, Global Education Park Finland/ Joensuu Science Park Ltd., Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), Outotec Oyj, Soprano Oyj – MIF and Tieturi, Synopsys Finland Oy, Tuudo Mobile App / Caleidon Ltd, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Wärtsilä Corporation and XXLSEC Ltd.
Finland considers that there are good opportunities for exporting Finnish expertise and technology to Colombia. One of the main tasks of the reopening Embassy of Finland will be to address Finland’s external economic relations in Colombia. By organising the reopening in connection with Prime Minister Sipilä’s Team Finland visit, the Embassy will celebrate the centenary of Finland’s independence.
In Bolivia, Prime Minister Sipilä will meet the country’s leadership and discuss the bilateral relations between Finland and Bolivia, as well as regional questions.
The topics of discussion at the meeting between President of Peru Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Prime Minister Sipilä will include bilateral relations, regional integration and development as well as global questions. Sipilä will also meet the Prime Minister of Peru, Mercedes Aráoz.
The delegation representing Finnish companies in the education sector will continue its tour from Colombia to Peru to promote networking and cooperation in the education sector.
Inquiries: Jani Raappana, Special Adviser (international affairs), tel. +358 295 160 306, and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, Prime Minister’s Office, tel. +358 50 468 5302; Ari Mäki, Director, Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 595; Tomi Rauste, Head of Regions Americas, Finpro, tel. +1 202 769 7027