Speech by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen at the 2024 Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission

Distinguished Ambassadors, Dear Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

“Russia’s most tenacious adversary was the semi-European Ottoman Empire: not because it posed a direct threat to Russia, but because it stood in the way of Russia’s expansionist ambitions.”

“One of Russia’s long-term political objectives was to gain control of Constantinople.” So wrote Finland’s former President, Mauno Koivisto, in his book The Russian Idea.

Putin’s Russia is following the same line of thought. No one from outside is threatening Russia or its territory. Instead, it sees obstacles to its own activities in many directions, and the greatest of them is – or would be – the freedom of the people to decide on their own affairs. The greatest threat for Russia is Russia itself and the Russian idea. They are entering a phase of decline.

The Soviet Union disintegrated when its economy, and its future, collapsed beneath it. The same is happening to Russia, even though we have so far witnessed something completely different: the military industry is in full swing, the rouble is still going strong and the country has full employment.

A sudden collapse is not to be expected after all. Fossil raw materials are still selling well. Military coups orchestrated by Russia in Africa finance themselves – through crime and stolen natural resources.

However, all this cannot finance long-term success or create a competitive foundation for an empire, large or small. The increase in supply will reduce oil price in the next few years, all the while Russia is spending increasingly more millions on its military industry and binding people to hard work without a future.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that global demand for oil will increase by only a few million barrels per day by 2030. At the same time, oil production outside Russia will increase substantially. The oil price cap and sanctions will reduce Russia’s revenues and increase costs, whether or not Russia manages to circumvent the sanctions.

More capital is consistently flowing out of than into Russia, whether it be money or intellectual capital. So no. Time is definitely not on Russia’s side.

Nevertheless, we cannot allow ourselves to sit and wait for the inevitable, but we must focus on what we are doing.

Finland is not threatening Russia, and Russia is not our enemy. Our adversaries are Russia’s military activities in Ukraine, Russia’s illegal expansionist ambition and its desire to exert power over territories that under international law belong to others.

Dear Colleagues,

Then what should Finland focus on?

In June, I presented to you my priorities for the Ministry and the missions towards the coming autumn and next year. These priorities require our special attention. They are the security of Finland and Europe supported by strong economic relations, and the Foreign Service of the 2030s, which will provide us with the best tools to succeed in our work.

Starting with safety

Finland’s security is safeguarded by three locks: a strong national defence capability as part of NATO deterrence and defence; our memberships in the European Union and NATO; and ever-stronger bilateral cooperation on foreign and security policy and defence with our key allies and partners.

When there is a war in Finland’s neighbouring areas, our first priority is to end that war.

We will support Ukraine as it defends itself to secure independence, territorial integrity and a peaceful future. We will seek support for Ukraine and international law both in the European Union and globally. We will support Ukraine to achieve a world where peace prevails, not the law of the strongest.

We will strengthen NATO’s deterrence and consolidate Finland’s position in the Alliance. We will promote the agenda on common foreign policy, security, preparedness and defence cooperation in the European Union. We will deepen cooperation between the EU and NATO. We will reinforce our bilateral alliances with the Nordic countries, the Baltic States and other EU Member States, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. We will also form closer partnerships with Japan, Australia and Korea.

We will strengthen the European security order through our chairmanship of the OSCE, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE), which laid the foundation for the present OSCE. In the Helsinki Final Act, concluded in 1975, participating countries made commitments relating to their behaviour towards each other but also towards their citizens. The principles laid down in Helsinki are now more important than ever before.

People in countries on the periphery of the EU and Europe have decided to reach for a strong democracy, the rule of law and a European way of life. It is our duty to help them in their aspirations. If we cannot give them Finnish perseverance, 'sisu', we can help them build resilience. With resilience I mean strong independence and a vibrant civil society that gets people involved, does not accept corruption and gives people space to decide on their own affairs with the help of democracy and a transparent market economy. We will invest strongly especially in the OSCE’s cooperation with the countries of Central Asia, the South Caucasus and the Western Balkans and with Ukraine and Moldova.

Moving on to the economy

Here, we all know that a social model built on democracy, human rights and a rule-based approach is the best possible one. It must also be the most competitive one to succeed. Money is ultimately the driving force behind people’s choices across the world, and nothing has changed in recent years.

The further we look to the future, the more difficult it is to distinguish security from the economy. Only a society that offers opportunities for the young and the hungry, for the experienced and those who have accumulated capital, and that is home to headquarters as well as subsidiaries will be able to look after its security in the long term.

Ensuring favourable conditions for economic growth is the responsibility of all of us, in particular here at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Finland’s economic growth is lagging behind the other Nordic countries, and Europe is falling behind the rest of the world. The Government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has started to reverse the increase in debt and create space for economic growth. We have a long road ahead of us, but we are moving in the right direction and there is light on the horizon.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs plays a key role in enabling Finland’s economic growth: in the building of trade and a country brand and in attracting investments, talent and tourists.

At the Ministry, the most important reform in the coming months will concern Team Finland’s foreign operations – the service provided to Finnish companies abroad.

We will deepen our partnerships in critical technologies. I am talking about transition technologies, critical minerals, shipbuilding and all other areas in which Finnish companies are, and can be, particularly strong.

Many countries seek economic growth by building walls and resorting to protectionism. We must have the courage to say – even to our allies and partners –  that this is not the right way forward. A non-discriminatory market economy and free exchange are the source of our wealth and a central part of our western value base. This is also the case with strategic competitiveness for which we are advocating at the EU.

Of course, abandoning protectionism does not mean abandoning risk management. Security of supply and critical supply chains are different from self-sufficiency, which cannot be achieved in everything, not even in theory. Fortunately, we have allies. My closest ministerial colleague, Tobias Billström from Sweden, and I wrote an article together to advocate free trade. Our message to both sides of the Atlantic is that building a free world requires close alliance, including in the economy and technology.

We must resolutely promote the European Union’s negotiations on free trade and investment agreements and partnerships with third countries. Agreements are the best way to facilitate companies' access to new markets. Additionally, we need to deepen cooperation in forums such as the EU–US Trade and Technology Council to promote mutual trade and investment.

We also need partnerships that will ensure the movement of critical technology and raw materials. Finland is already involved in various alliances concerning quantum technologies, 5G and 6G technologies, critical minerals and Arctic expertise, among others. We need more such alliances, and I believe that our membership in NATO will provide us with new such opportunities based on security policy.

The recent statement issued by the United States, Canada and Finland on icebreaker cooperation is a good example of geopolitics encouraging the Allies to engage in closer business collaboration. 

Dear Ambassadors,

I invite you to join us in making the Foreign Service ready for a new era to improve conditions for our work. A more strategic allocation of resources is essential in this respect.

Last year, we launched a reform of the Foreign Service to improve our organisational structure and leadership and help us respond to changes in the world and operating environment. The new management group started its work in the spring, and the reformed regional departments have been in operation for three whole weeks now. I would like to thank you for your vital contribution to the success of this work.

It is important to bring the organisation up to date and make it ready for the future. This is about more than rearranging pieces on the board. Investing in workplace wellbeing as well as the work environment is crucial. That is why I am extremely pleased with the good results of the latest job satisfaction survey. People are happy here. The Foreign Ministry's grades are among the top in central government administration.

Good grades do not mean that we would close our eyes to problems, harassment or inappropriate behaviour. We are an organisation with over 2,300 employees, and a high average grade is no guarantee that everyone is doing as well as they should at all times. Constant efforts and vigilance is required from all of us supervisors.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs does not accept inappropriate behaviour or harassment. Not now, not ever. The employer must promptly address such behaviour, and this is what the Ministry has done. We must increasingly move towards rewarding employees’ good performance and workplace culture that helps colleagues succeed.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is an expert organisation, and people are our most important resource. Our only resource. That is why we have a special responsibility to invest in people. We will pay more attention to individual opportunities for advancement. The work has already started. A key step is to open the recruitment process for the human resources director for applicants from outside the Ministry as well as from the inside. The most important thing is to find the best professional for the job from inside or outside.

Our responsibility for external relations also includes the management of economic relations. The current two overlapping international networks – Business Finland’s foreign functions and the Foreign Ministry’s Team Finland organisations – will be gathered under the same roof to become part of the Foreign Service and form a more coherent network. We will clarify performance management, improve the flow of information and use resources for people, not for overlapping administration and barriers.

The reform takes commitment from all of us, especially from you ambassadors. You lead this work. The reform opens up an enormous opportunity and calls on us to take responsibility for our country.

Diplomacy and economic relations are not separate but go hand in hand in all situations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It has been unpleasant to watch how Russia has found itself deeper in China's pocket in recent months. Cooperation and exchange with China has significantly improved Russia's ability to continue its offensive in Ukraine.

We encourage China to use its influence to promote peace between Russia and Ukraine that respects Ukraine's territorial integrity and the UN Charter.

China is making investments to gain a stronger foothold in Europe. Chinese companies have found interesting investment targets in countries such as Hungary, where they are building a telecommunications network, an electric vehicle plant and a railway.

We will extend a hand of cooperation to China in trade and in solving global challenges, such as combating climate change. However, we will not close our eyes to risks related to supply chains and the safety of technology, nor to activities that are against our values.

This applies globally. We do not accept activities that are based on the exploitation of natural resources and take away the right to self-determination from peoples who have taken their first steps on the path towards democracy.

We Europeans must extend the hand of cooperation to our global partners so that they will always have an option based on democratic values.

As Finland and as Europe, we are building a future partnership with Africa based on equal trade, fair funding, a non-discriminatory market economy, human rights, equal opportunities for women and girls, controlled movement of people, and peace.

The success of cooperation with various African countries is a defining issue for both Finland and Europe. It is more so for us than for African countries. In any case, the 1.4 billion people living in 54 African countries will play an increasing role in the future.

Let me be clear on this. It is time to see the African continent rather as an opportunity than a threat. I have met roughly ten of my African colleagues, from South Africa to Morocco and from Ghana to Tanzania, and they all are hoping for investments and fair, market-driven exchange with Finland. No more, no less.

The people in Africa deserve to have their voice heard more clearly in the international rules-based system. Finland is in favour of reforming the United Nations in a way that will make its decision-making and the Security Council’s composition better reflect the development of the whole world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There have been talks that the international rules-based system has collapsed. It has not. The fact that some parties act against the rules does not mean that the rules do not exist or that they have become less relevant. On the contrary, international law is being increasingly invoked by an overwhelming majority of the world’s countries.

Finland is a staunch supporter of the international rules-based system. We support the work of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court in all crises in the world. The perpetrators must be held accountable for crimes committed both in Ukraine and in the Middle East.

Finland develops international law, including sanctions regulations, the lawful use of the aggressor state’s frozen assets and solutions to instrumentalised migration.

We are consistent in everything we do. We do not accept Russia’s and its partners’ accusations of double standards, because they are not true. We fully support the independent work of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court concerning all parties involved in the Middle East crisis.

We work for peace in the Middle East based on the two-state model. As part of the European Union, we are the most important donor of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

We condemn Hamas’ brutality, which did not start or end with the terrorist attack on 7 October. We support the right of people both in Israel and in the Palestinian territory to live in a safe environment and to choose a peaceful future.

It was not Russia, nor China, but the European Commission that made a decision in July to provide EUR 400 million in support for the Palestinian Authority. We continue to call on Israel to release the tax and customs revenue it has been withholding from the Palestinian Authority.

We condemn the illegal Israeli settlements and reinforce sanctions against violent settlers. We advocate for an immediate ceasefire and release of hostages.

Peace in the Middle East is a realistic goal even now – especially right now.

Dear Friends,

Despite all the bad news, we are also seeing considerable progress for the better. Absolute poverty is decreasing. More and more people in the world have access to clean water. Maternal and child mortality rates are declining.

According to recent statistics released by UNESCO, a growing number of girls in the world go to school. In less than 10 years, the number of girls attending school has increased by 50 million. Yet, 122 million girls – and 128 million boys – are still left without education. That is 122 and 128 million too many.

Finland will continue its consistent work for human rights and promote, in particular, the rights of women, girls, gender and sexual minorities, persons with disabilities, and indigenous peoples. This has also been our clear objective at the UN Human Rights Council, where Finland’s three-year term is ending this year.

The world is not finished; however, new human rights treaties are being adopted and ratified, and more and more states are committed to their implementation.

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Finland is the best, and ranks the happiest, country in the world. That is something that we must move from the sidelines to centre stage and make it our focus in everything we do. Let’s make it happen together!

We do not preach or whine and we do not patronise. Instead, we engage with people, hear them, learn from them and tell them how we have solved matters. We invite them to join us and extend the hand of cooperation. We do not know where the world is heading, but we do know where we want to see it heading. The way we work is guided by value-based realism.

In the end, when people are free to choose, they choose freedom. We should celebrate that increasingly more people around the world choose Finland. Last year, a historically large number of experts from other parts of the world arrived in Finland: the net immigration was 60,000 people. These people came to work and study – to build the future with us.

Together we will make sure that Finland's best years are yet to come!