Finnish Minister Welcomes Active Cooperation Between Finland and Asean Countries

KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 (Bernama) -- Finnish International Development Minister Heidi Hautala welcomed the active cooperation between Finland and Asean countries, especially on issues related to development. She had expressed her confidence when met by Asean Heads of Mission led by Malaysian ambassador to Finland, Cheah Choong Kit who is currently chair of Asean-Helsinki Committee (AHC), on Thursday. According to a statement from the Malaysian Embassy in Helsinki during the meeting, they discussed the strategic importance between Asean and European Union (EU) in general and Finland in particular. The statement said they had also talked about the importance of Rio+20 Summit which would take place this week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, not only as an environmental conference, but also a vital meeting for social and economic development. Green economy and the creation of jobs related to it and recent developments in palm oil in Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as regional integration issues in view of the current crisis in Euro zone, were also discussed. -- BERNAMA