Finland only reopened its embassy in the Philippines in September 2020 after closing in 2012.
Finland Ambassador to the Philippines Juha Pyykkö, on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, told reporters that the reopening of the embassy and the two consular offices in Cebu and Davao, signal the country’s commitment to grow its presence in the Philippines.
He said Cebu is an important business hub outside Metro Manila that offers immense opportunities for Finnish companies to explore and invest in.
The envoy said having Soberano onboard as the link between Finland and the Visayas is a welcome development.
“I really appreciate the personality of Franco from the very first meeting that we had. He has the right spirit and right approach to this task as an honorary consul. We are really honored and glad and happy to have him,” said Pykkö.
Apart from providing visa and consular services to Finnish and Filipinos, Pykkö said Finland wants to reestablishment its economic ties with the Philippines, citing the country as one of the key and strong players in the Asean region.
“We will help facilitate the entry of Finnish business to the Philippines,” said Pykkö. “We wanted make Finish expertise known in the region.”
Pykkö said Finland and the Philippines can work together in exploring business opportunities as the former could lend its expertise and share best practices in the areas of education, technology, digitalization, circular economy, renewable energy and in smart city solutions and sustainability. (KOC)