Helsinki:
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held “long discussions” on terrorism with the top Finnish leadership, amidst Pakistan’s attempts to internationalise the Kashmir issue after India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to Finland from Thursday.
“A very good conversation with Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne. Appreciated his deep interest in the social programs of our Government,” Jaishankar tweeted.
The minister also had a “productive” meeting with his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto on a broad spectrum of bilateral relations.
“Productive meeting with Foreign Minister @Haavisto. Reviewed bilateral relationship with special focus on green technologies. Exhanged notes on regional issues. Long discussion on terrorism. Compared our development assistance experience in Africa,” he tweeted.
Finland is the current chair of the European Union, which has supported India on the Kashmir issue.
During a special debate of the plenary of the European Parliament on the situation in Kashmir on Tuesday, European parliamentarians Ryszard Czarnecki and Fulvio Martusciello have slammed Pakistan for harbouring militants.
Czarnecki, the member of EU Parliament and European Conservatives and Reformists Group in Poland called India the “greatest democracy of the world” and said terrorists who carried out attacks in India did not come from the Moon.
The Modi government on August 5 revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated it into two union territories.
Reacting to India’s move on Kashmir, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner.
Pakistan has been trying to internationalise the Kashmir issue but India has asserted that the abrogation of Article 370 was its “internal matter”. New Delhi has also asked Islamabad to accept the reality and stop its anti-India rhetoric.
Earlier, Jaishankar visited the Parliament of Finland and exchanged views “on gender equality and microfinance” with the first deputy speaker Tuula Haatainen.
He also met the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Finnish Parliament and held discussion on contemporary developments in Asia.
Jaishankar also met Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and “benefitted from his global insights and perspectives on Europe”.
