According to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Finnish Government is preparing the reopening of its embassy in Manila, the Philippines.
The Finnish embassy in Manila was closed in 2012 due to cuts in Foreign Service appropriations. Since then, Finland has handled its relations with the Philippines from Malaysia. Customers have been served at Finland’s Consular Office in Manila.
Now, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs aims to allocate resources to countries whose political and economic weight for Finland is growing.
The reopening of the embassy in Manila is scheduled to take place in autumn 2020. The Foreign Ministry responds to feedback received from citizens and businesses by reopening its mission, which will significantly improve the provision of services in the region.
The Philippines is one of the largest countries in which Finland does not currently have an embassy. Most EU Member States and three Nordic countries are already represented in Manila.
Reasons to reopen
The Ministry for Foreign Affaris explained that the reasons behind the need to reopen the embassy in Manila include the growing importance of Asia in world politics and economy, the Philippines' key role in security questions relating to East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, as well as Finland's expanding commercial interests, greater export potential, increasing provision of consular services and thriving tourism between the countries.
The number of Finns travelling and living in the Philippines has been on the increase for years. Finnish companies also recruit more and more trained workers from the Philippines.
According to the Finnish Government, "the relations between Finland and the Philippines are very good, and the reopening of the embassy is believed to bring the countries even closer to each other." Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1955.
