External Affairs Minister (MEA) S Jaishankar on September 20, unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Helsinki, Finland. The statue was created by renowned Indian sculptor Gautam Pal and gifted to Finland by the Indian Council for strengthening Cultural Relations. 

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Unveiled the Mahatma Statue

The external affairs minister tweeted, "Unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi by Gautam Pal. Thank the city of Helsinki and the Finnish Foreign Ministry. Was so good to see the Indian community there. Underlined that the Mahatma's message of courage, hope and truth was relevant to fight terrorism."

India against terrorism

MEA Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to Finland, which began on Thursday. Before unveiling the statue on Friday, Jaishankar held a wide range of discussions, including terrorism and green technologies, with the top Finnish leadership. He delivered a speech on 'India and the World - Priorities of Indian Foreign Policy' at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA).

Jaishankar, in an apparent reference to Pakistan, said, "India lives in a tough neighbourhood and faces more than its fair share of national security challenges. Most prominent among them is the cross-border terrorism that we have been subjected to for many decades."

He further said that India's decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status has a "national security connotation" as he emphasized that the "epicentre of global terrorism" is right there in the country's "neighbourhood".  

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'Development oriented' Foreign policy

Jaishankar also said India's foreign policy "has a strong developmental focus now as we explore sourcing technology, best practices, capital, resources and collaborations with global partners." In this regard, he focused on the 'development-oriented' foreign policy of India, while attempting to strengthen relations with Finland and said, "It is certainly an aspect that I believe Finland should study closely in identifying further prospects for the growth of our relationship." Jaishankar noted that over 100 Finnish companies, including Wartsila and Nokia, are present in India.

"The urbanisation of India, growth of the middle-class and changes in lifestyle will create new opportunities. These could be outbound too, in services offered abroad by our IT companies or holiday resorts in Finland operated by Mahindra," he said. 

Elaborating on the need for a further increase in the harmonious and amicable relations between India and Finland, Jaishankar said, as the world moves towards a more knowledge-based economy, the natural strengths of the two economies could complement each other. He also added that India's talent and its leapfrogging strategy at home are the two natural avenues for Finnish businesses to engage. 

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(With inputs from PTI)