By IANS
Mumbai : Prime Minister of Finland Matti Vanhanen Wednesday mooted that his country be made India’s “gateway to the European Union”.
Vanhanen said this would go a long way in enhancing trade between the two nations since Helsinki is just a six-hour flight from New Delhi.
He made this observation at a meeting with Maharashtra Governor S.M. Krishna at Raj Bhavan here.
Accompanied by Finland Environment Minister Kimmo Tiilikainen and a high-level business delegation, the Finnish premier discussed bilateral trade between the two countries, global climatic changes and energy issues.
Krishna, pointing out that Maharashtra is one of the most sought after investment destinations, told Vanhanen about various socio-economic issues concerning the state and Mumbai city, including population, infrastructure and transportation.
Vanhanen acknowledged that India has made very strong progress during the past few years and expressed a desire to strengthen the existing bilateral trade ties.
He said Finland could offer know-how and expertise, especially in the utilization of non-conventional renewable energy sources, environment technology and solutions for sustainable development.
Making a case for India and Finland fighting the climate change together, Tiilikainen said that climate change is a challenge which no country or region can solve in isolation.
“Companies have to do their best to reduce emission levels and at the same time, we should help each other in sharing technological know how. We must pursue an integrated approach to climate change and energy,” he said.