Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help strengthen the UK’s relationship with Finland.

The UK maintains strong and enduring ties with Finland across a broad range of bilateral files. We work closely together as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) allies. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary hosted Foreign Minister Valtonen on 4 February and the Prime Minister hosted President Stubb at No 10 on 31 March. I also hosted State Secretary Rajala in March. I am due to visit Helsinki for the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act later this month, where I expect to continue bilateral discussions with my ministerial counterparts.