The foreign relations of Finland are the responsibility of the president of Finland, who leads foreign policy in cooperation with the government. Implicitly the government is responsible for internal policy and decision making in the European Union. Within the government, preparative discussions are conducted in the government committee of foreign and security policy (ulko- ja turvallisuuspoliittinen ministerivaliokunta), which includes the Prime Minister and at least the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defence, and at most four other ministers as necessary.[1] The committee meets with the President as necessary. Laws concerning foreign relations are discussed in the parliamentary committee of foreign relations (ulkoasiainvaliokunta, utrikesutskottet). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs implements the foreign policy.[2][3]
In March 1917, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicated the throne, which led to the collapse of the Russian Empire and left the Grand Duchy of Finland without a grand duke. Following the Bolshevik Revolution in November, Finland declared independence in December 1917. Soviet Russia was the first to recognize Finland in 4 January 1918, followed shortly by Sweden, France, and Germany.[4]
In late January 1918, Finnish socialists launched a civil war with the support of Russian Bolsheviks. The anti-communist Whites, in turn, were supported by the German Empire. German assistance initially took the form of arms shipments and the deployment of Finnish Jägers trained in Germany. During the Finnish Civil War, Russia and Germany concluded the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, under which most of the Russian troops withdrew from Finland, leaving the Finnish Reds without support. Already in February, Finland's ambassador to Berlin, Edvard Hjelt, had formally requested German military intervention. In April, the German Baltic Sea Division landed at Hanko and took Helsinki from the Red Guards.[5]
To secure German assistance, Finland and Germany had signed a peace treaty accompanied by a trade agreement that granted significant benefits for German industry. A secret supplementary protocol authorized German forces to establish bases in Finland and to operate through Finnish territory to the Arctic Ocean.[5] After the White victory, a plan to establish a Finnish monarchy was set in motion, and Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse, brother-in-law of German Emperor Wilhelm II, was chosen as king-elect. Finland's pro-German policy and the election of a German king led to France to cut diplomatic relations with Finland, and prompted the United States and Great Britain to withhold recognition. U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing considered Finland a German-occupied country.[6]
However, Germany's defeat in the World War I and the abdication of Wilhelm II also put an end to Finland's monarchy project and forced a reorientation of its foreign policy. German forces withdrew from Finland following the Armistice of 11 November 1918. General Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, who had opposed the pro-German orientation, assumed the position of Regent of Finland. Mannerheim advocated the entente cordiale, supporting alignment with Franco–British relations.[7] A republican constitution was adopted in Finland in 1919, and the Allied powers agreed to recognize Finland following the Paris Peace Conference.[8]
Between the world wars
Relations with Soviet Russia from 1918 to 1939 were icy; voluntary expeditions to Russia called heimosodat ended only in 1922, four years after the conclusion of the Finnish Civil War. However, attempts to establish military alliances were unsuccessful.[9]
By 1940, Finland and Sweden considered forming a political union, but Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union obstructed these plans. The Soviet Union had not relinquished its strategic objective of bringing Finland under its control.[10] Finland’s only remaining option was partnership with Germany. Germany, for its part, was interested in cooperation with Finland due to the presence of nickel deposits in Lapland, a raw material of vital importance for the production of defence equipment.[10]
Later, during the Continuation War, Finland declared "co-belligerency" with Nazi Germany, and allowed Northern Finland to be used as a German attack base. For 872 days, the German army, aided indirectly by Finnish forces, besieged Leningrad, the Soviet Union's second-largest city.[11] The peace settlement in 1944 with the Soviet Union led to the Lapland War in 1945, where Finland fought Germans in northern Finland.
Finland did not join the Soviet Union's economic sphere (Comecon) but remained a free-market economy and conducted bilateral trade with the Soviet Union.
President Urho Kekkonen is the longest-serving president in the history of Finland.
The participating states signed a treaty that guaranteed the free movement of people and information. This provision became a catalyst for demands for human rights within the Eastern Bloc. The CSCE conference thus played a role in undermining the Iron Curtain. Hosting the CSCE was, moreover, an acknowledgement of Finland’s neutrality.[13]
The President of the United States Ronald Reagan conducted a three-day state visit to Finland in 1988, hosted by President Mauno Koivisto. This visit symbolised the diplomatic relations between the two nations during the late Cold War period.[14]
Finland officially established its relations with NATO in 1992 when it participated as an observer in the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) foreign ministers’ meeting. This marked the beginning of Finland’s engagement with NATO cooperation mechanisms following the end of the Cold War, motivated primarily by the need to monitor security developments in neighboring Russia and the Baltic states. Negotiations to join NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) were initiated in 1993, and Finland formally joined the PfP program in 1994. Initially, Finland’s cooperation with NATO was restricted to non-combat areas such as rescue operations, peacekeeping training, and environmental protection.[16][17]
In November 1995, Finland’s Parliament was presented with a new peacekeeping law that facilitated broader participation in international peace operations. This legal framework enabled Finland’s full engagement in the Bosnia IFOR peacekeeping mission in 1996 as an full and active peace partner.[16][17]
Concurrently, efforts to align the Finnish Defence Forces' compatibility with NATO military standards were formalized through agreements signed in 1995. Further integration steps included the establishment of a special Finnish mission to NATO headquarters in Brussels in 1997, enhancing Finland’s involvement in NATO decision-making processes while maintaining its policy of military non-alignment.[16][17]
The Northern Dimension was conceived to manage the interdependencies between the EU and Russia, focusing on sectors such as environmental issues, nuclear safety, and the socio-economic development of border regions, including Kaliningrad. Finland’s geographic and political position made it a key driver of this policy, leveraging its EU membership since 1995 to facilitate a cooperative framework with Russia rather than antagonism.[18]
During the 1990s, Finnish exports to Russia recovered gradually after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the severe trade disruptions that followed. The economic situation in Russia came to stabilize during the 2000s, resulting in increased bilateral trade. By 2008, Russia had regained its status as Finland’s largest export market, fuelled not only by industrial goods but also by the growing presence of Russian consumers who contributed to Finland’s economic vitality.[19][7]
In 2005, the number of foreign spies in Finland returned to Cold War levels. Espionage activity was concentrated in the Helsinki metropolitan area, where the nation’s political leadership, largest corporations, and principal research institutions are located. The capital also hosts foreign embassies, through which, according to experts, the majority of espionage is conducted. According to information published by Helsingin Sanomat, approximately 50 trained spies representing the intelligence services of various countries were then operating in Finland. Most of them were based within the area of Ring Road III, posing as diplomats, journalists, researchers, businesspeople, grant holders, or students. Of these, an estimated 30 focused on civilian intelligence, while 20 concentrated on gathering military-related information.[20]
Change in constitution
In 2000, a major reform was made to the Constitution of Finland, which repealed the previously valid four separate constitutional laws and created a unified, modernised Constitution. This reform particularly signified a significant shift in the leadership of foreign policy.[21]
According to the Constitution of 2000, foreign policy is led by the President of the Republic in cooperation with the Council of State (the government). This means that the President’s power in foreign affairs is no longer exclusive but emphasizes collaboration with the government. Additionally, due to EU membership, the leadership of foreign policy was divided: the Council of State was given decision-making authority in preparing EU affairs and national measures, while the President retained responsibility for traditional foreign policy outside the EU. In practice, this transferred much power from the President to the Prime Minister and the government, while also increasing the role of Parliament.[21][22]
With this change, the President’s power in domestic politics was significantly reduced, and the Prime Minister became the key decision-maker in forming the government and leading the EU aspect of foreign policy. Except in times of crisis, the Constitution of 2000 emphasized cooperation and the President’s role is focused on foreign and security policy, but with more limited supervision and authority than before.[21][22]
The Constitution of 2000 strengthened parliamentarism and transformed the President’s position into a dual leadership in foreign policy: the President and the Council of State lead foreign policy together, with the Council of State and Prime Minister having a strong role in EU matters. This pushed Finland toward a more modern, parliamentary system of leadership in foreign policy. The arrangement has been criticised for not providing a simple answer of who's in charge if there is a major dispute.[21][23][22]
Among the most significant repercussions was Finland’s historic decision in May 2022 to apply for NATO membership, ending decades of military non-alignment. Finland joined NATO in April 2023. This decision was driven by increased perceptions of threat from Russia, which undermined the credibility of bilateral security assurances. Concurrently, Finland intensified its defence cooperation with Ukraine by supplying defence materiel packages and signing cooperation agreements to deepen military collaboration. Finland has emerged as one of Ukraine’s largest supporters by GDP ratio.[24][25]
Finland’s relationship with NATO began to strengthen immediately after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, when Finland joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) as an observer in 1992, established for former Warsaw Pact members. Finland started to move closer to NATO by joining the Partnership for Peace (PfP) program in 1994, developing cooperation in defense matters while maintaining military non-alignment. From the 1990s onwards, Finland built increasingly closer ties with NATO, participating in international crisis management operations and signing a host nation support agreement with NATO in 2014, which defined the principles of assistance during crises and exercises.[16]
Finland has participated in NATO's Partnership for Peace cooperation since 1994. Additionally, Finland became a member of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) in 1997. In 2014, Finland was invited as an advanced partner to join NATO's Enhanced Opportunities Partner (EOP) cooperation. Alongside its involvement in the Enhanced Opportunities cooperation, Finland also promoted trilateral cooperation between NATO, Finland, and Sweden, known as the "30+2" cooperation framework.[26]
As the security environment changed, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Finland’s security policy situation became decisive. Finland decided to apply for NATO membership in May 2022. The Finnish Parliament strongly approved the membership, with opponents in the minority. Finland’s NATO membership came into force on April 4, 2023, making Finland a full member and part of NATO’s collective defense guarantees under Article 5.[27]
This membership marked the end of Finland’s long-standing military non-alignment and strengthened Finland’s security in a changed European security landscape. Finland’s membership also enhances stability and security in the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe, with Finland actively participating in NATO’s collective defense and decision-making.[28]
Diplomatic relations
List
List of countries which Finland maintains diplomatic relations with:
|--valign="top" |Namibia||21 March 1990||See Finland–Namibia relations Finland recognised Namibia on March 21, 1990. Both countries established diplomatic relations on the same day. Namibia is represented in Finland through its embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. Finland has an embassy in Windhoek and an honorary consulate in Walvis Bay. |--valign="top" |South Africa||15 May 1949 |See Finland – South Africa relations A South African legation was established in 1967 and relations were then upgraded to ambassadorial level in March 1991.[45] Finland has an embassy in Pretoria, a general consulate in Johannesburg, and a consulate in Cape Town. South Africa is accredited to Finland from its embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. During World War II South Africa declared war on Finland.[46]
Finland was a strong supporter of the dismantling of Apartheid in South Africa.[46][47][48]
South African exports to Finland include fresh and dried fruits, wine, pulp, paper, iron, steel, and coal. South Africa imports telecommunication equipment, paper, board products, and machinery from Finland.[45] |--valign="top" |Tanzania||14 June 1965 |
Finland recognised Tanganyika on December 9, 1961.
Tanzania is represented in Finland through its embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.
President of Tunisia Habib Bourguiba visiting Valio on his visit in Finland 1963.
Finland recognised Tunisia's independence on June 8, 1956.
Since 1994 Finland has an embassy in Tunis. Previously Finland was represented in Tunisia through its embassies in Algiers, Algeria, and Rome, Italy.[49]
Chile recognised Finland's independence on June 17, 1919. Diplomatic relations between them were established in 1931 and have been continuously maintained, despite pressures at times to discontinue them.[52] The two countries maintain resident ambassadors in both capitals.[52]
The relations between Colombia and Finland are harmonious as both countries share a similar ideology based on democracy, human rights and a lasting peace. It's because of this that Colombia has decided to open an embassy in Helsinki. Colombia also defines Finland as a key player on Colombia's accession into the OECD and the ratification of the Colombia-European Union Trade Agreement.[53]
5-25-1988 President Reagan meeting with President Mauno Henrik Koivisto during a trip to Finland at the Helsinki airport in Vantaa Relations between the United States and Finland are warm. Some 200,000 US citizens visit Finland annually, and about 3,000 US citizens are resident there. The US has an educational exchange program in Finland that is comparatively large for a Western European country of Finland's size. It is financed in part from a trust fund established in 1976 from Finland's final repayment of a US loan made in the aftermath of World War I.
Finland is bordered on the east by Russia and, as one of the former Soviet Union's neighbours, has been of particular interest and importance to the US both during the Cold War and in its aftermath. Before the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, longstanding US policy was to support Finnish neutrality and to maintain and reinforce Finland's historic, cultural, and economic ties with the West. The US has welcomed Finland's increased participation since 1991 in Western economic and political structures.
Economic and trade relations between Finland and the United States are active and were bolstered by the F-18 purchase. US-Finland trade totals almost $5billion annually. The US receives about 7% of Finland's exports – mainly wood pulp and paper, ships, machinery, electronics and instruments and refined petroleum products[63] – and provides about 7% of its imports – principally computers, semiconductors, aircraft, and machinery.
Armenia is represented in Finland by a non-resident ambassador (based in Yerevan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Finland is represented in Armenia by a non-resident ambassador (based in Helsinki at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and an honorary consulate in Yerevan.
Azerbaijan is represented in Finland through its embassy in Stockholm (Sweden) and an honorary consulate in Helsinki.
Finland is represented in Azerbaijan by a non-resident ambassador (based in Helsinki at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and an honorary consulate in Baku.
Finland is represented in Georgia by a non-resident ambassador (based in Helsinki at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and an honorary consulate in Tbilisi.
Georgia is represented in Finland through its embassy in Stockholm (Sweden) and an honorary consulate in Helsinki.
Photograph of the Shah and the Shahbanu during their visit to Tapiola residencial area in Espoo, Finland. To their right, the Finnish president Urho Kekkonen.
Finland recognized the People's Democratic Republic of Korea on April 13, 1973.[85]
Finland condemns North Korean nuclear tests and fully agrees with EU foreign policy statements on this matter.[85]
International trade has been irregular and sporadic, and it is controlled by UN and EU sanctions.[86]
Finland has contributed to humanitarian assistance to North Korea through the Red Cross and the World Food Programme.[86]
Neither Finland nor North Korea currently have resident ambassadors. North Korea is represented by the North Korean embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.[86] Finland is represented by the Finnish embassy in Seoul, South Korea.[87]
Finland is an EUmember and Turkey is an EUcandidate. Finland supports Turkey's accession negotiations to the EU, although negotiations have now been suspended.
Both countries are full members of the Nordic Council and the Nordic Passport Union, with no border controls or limitations on travel and residence. On cases concerning an individual, authorities must arrange translations between Finnish and Danish, if necessary.
Denmark and Finland share a long history, where Danish Vikings settled in Finland and made crusades. Both countries were also part of the Kalmar Union.[104] Denmark was the first country along with Sweden to recognize Finland's Independence.
There are 3,000 Finns living in Denmark, and 1,235 Danes living in Finland. During Winter War, over 1,000 Danish volunteers came to help Finland.[105] During the Winter war and the Continuation war, Denmark took 4,200 Finnish war children.[106] Exports to Denmark value at 1.380 billion euros, and imports from Denmark value at 1.453 billion, making Denmark Finland's 10th largest import-trading partner. The Nordic Culture Fund and the Finnish-Danish Cultural Fund support projects of artists in both countries. Many tourists from Finland visit Denmark, 206,000 in 2017, and vice versa: 113,000 Danish tourists visited Finland in 2017. In 1918 Mannerheim visited Copenhagen, asking if Prince Aage would have wanted to become the King of Finland.
Finland's main language, Finnish, is related to Estonian, and there is and has been a certain feeling of kinship. 76% of Finns have visited Estonia and in 2004, 1.8million Finns reported visiting Estonia. Finnish and Swedish investors are the largest foreign investors in Estonia.[107] Finland and Estonia are members of the European Union and the Schengen agreement, freeing international travel and trade between the countries.
Finland's government recognised Estonia's independence in 1920. In response to the Soviet invasion, diplomatic missions were de facto removed. However, when Estonia declared independence, this "temporary obstruction" was resolved. Both countries restored diplomatic relations on August 29, 1991.
Germany recognised Finland's independence on January 4, 1918.
Germany gave direct military support to Finnish independence by training Finnish Jägers and successfully intervened in Finnish Civil War in favor of the nationalist Whites.
During World War II, the secret protocol in Molotov–Ribbentrop pact enabled Winter War (1939–40), a Soviet attack on Finland. Finland and Nazi Germany were "co-belligerents" against Soviet Union during Continuation War (1941–44), but a separate peace with Soviet Union led to the Finnish-German Lapland War (1944–45).
Hungary recognised Finland on August 23, 1920. Finland recognised Hungary on September 10, 1920.
Finland broke off diplomatic relations on September 20, 1944.
Diplomatic relations were re-established on May 20, 1947.
Both national languages, Finnish and Hungarian, are Uralic languages, which has led to cultural exchange albeit at a much smaller scale compared to the third major Uralic-speaking country, Estonia.
Finland has an embassy in Budapest and an honorary consulate in Pécs.
Both countries are full members of the Nordic Council and the Nordic Passport Union, with no border controls or limitations on travel and residence. On cases concerning an individual, authorities must arrange translations between Finnish and Icelandic, if necessary.
Finland recognised Lithuania's independence de facto on November 14, 1919, and de jure on October 14, 1921.
Finland recognised Lithuania's independence on 28 August 1991, and the two countries started diplomatic relations the very same day. Finland is a key partner and neighbour to Lithuania, with the countries pursuing active cooperation in the fields of economy, energy, regional, information security, to name a few. Currently, there are 11 bilateral agreements regulating the relationship between Lithuania and Finland different fields.[121]
Finland has an embassy in Vilnius and an honorary consulate in Klaipėda.
Finland is represented in Malta through its embassy in Rome, Italy, and an honorary consulate in Valletta.
Malta is represented in Finland by a non-resident ambassador (based in Valletta at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and an honorary consulate in Helsinki.
Both countries are full members of the Nordic Council and the Nordic Passport Union, with no border controls or limitations on travel and residence. On cases concerning an individual, authorities must arrange translations between Finnish and Norwegian, if necessary.
Finland was a part of the Russian Empire for 108 years, after being annexed from the Swedish empire. Discontent with Russian rule, Finnish national identity, and World War I eventually caused Finland to break away from Russia, taking advantage of the fact that Russia was withdrawing from World War I and a revolution was starting in earnest. Following the Finnish Civil War and October Revolution, Russians were virtually equated with Communists and due to official hostility to Communism, Finno-Soviet relations in the period between the world wars remained tense. Voluntary activists arranged expeditions to Karelia (heimosodat), which ended when Finland and the Soviet Union signed the Treaty of Tartu in 1920. However, the Soviet Union did not abide by the treaty when they blockaded Finnish naval ships. Finland was attacked by the Soviet Union in 1939. Finland fought the Winter War and the Continuation War against the Soviets in World War II. During the wars, the Finns suffered 90,000 casualties and inflicted severe casualties on the Russians (120,000 dead in the Winter War and 200,000 in the Continuation War).
Contemporary issues include problems with border controls causing persistent truck queues at the border, airspace violations, pollution of the Baltic Sea, and Russian duties on exported wood to Finland's pulp and paper industry. Russia also considered large swathes of land near the Finnish border as special security area where foreign land ownership is forbidden. A similarly extensive restriction does not apply to Russian citizens. The Finnish Defence Forces and Finnish Security Intelligence Service have suspected that Russians have made targeted land purchases near military and other sensitive installations for intelligence or special operations purposes.[130][131] Right-wing commentators accuse the government of continuing the policy of Finlandisation.
Recently, Finland-Russia relations have been under pressure with annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, which Finland considers illegal. Together with the rest of the European Union, Finland enforces sanctions against Russia that followed. Still, economic relations have not entirely deteriorated: 11.2% of imports to Finland are from Russia, and 5.7% of exports from Finland are to Russia, and cooperation between Finnish and Russian authorities continues.[132]
Tensions between the countries rose in late 2008 when a news program on Finland's national broadcasting company station YLE accused Finnish weapons manufacturer Patria of bribing Slovenian officials to secure an arms deal. Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša formally complained to the Finnish ambassador in Ljubljana.[136] This controversy became known as the Patria case.
Finland and Sweden have always had very close relations, resulting from shared history, numerous commonalities in society and politics, and close trade relations. A newly appointed Foreign Minister makes his or her first state visit to Sweden. Finnish politicians often consider Sweden's reaction to international affairs first as a base for further actions, and thus finally both countries often agree on such issues. If there has ever been any dissonance between the two countries those were the Åland question in the early 1920s and the Swedish declaration of non-belligerent status during the Winter War. Finland and Sweden are members of the European Union and the Schengen agreement, freeing international travel and trade between the countries. Furthermore, both participate in the Nordic Council, which grants Swedish nationals slightly more extensive rights than the EU/Schengen treaties alone.
12Aminoff, Jukka (2021). Suomen Ruotsi ja Venäjä - Suomi muuttuvien maailmanjärjestysten keskellä[Finland, Sweden, and Russia – Finland in the midst of changing world orders] (in Finnish). Readme.fi & WSOY.
↑Pietiläinen, Tuomo; Parkkonen, Santtu; teksti; Gröndahl, Jukka; kuvat (16 November 2005). "Helsingistä tuli jälleen vakoilun keskus". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 20 September 2025.
↑Klimek, Antonín; Kubů, Eduard (1995). Československá zahraniční politika 1918-1938: kapitoly z dějin mezinárodních vztahů (in Czech). Institut pro středoevropskou kulturu a politiku. p.102.
↑Gothaisches Jahrbuch für Diplomatie, Verwaltung und Wirtschaft (in German). 1927. p.118.
12"Finland". South Africa. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2009. Diplomatic relations were re-established in 1949. A South African legation was established in 1967 and relations were upgraded to ambassadorial level in March 1991. Finland and South Africa enjoy excellent relations and a Declaration of Intent was signed in June 2000 to facilitate bilateral consultations between South Africa and Finland.
↑"Finland recognises Kosovo". NewsRoom Finland. Helsinki: Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. 7 March 2008. Archived from the original on 24 March 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
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