Having spent an extensive length of his life in the field of diplomacy, Finland’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia, has pledged his country’s commitment to the cooperation agreement established in 2009.

His Excellency Ambassador Jukka Pietikainen presented his letters of credence to Saint Lucia’s Governor General, His Excellency Sir Neville Cenac, at a brief ceremony which took place at Government House on Feb. 5.

Saint Lucia first established diplomatic relations with Finland in 2009 leading the way for its sister territories in the OECS, who subsequently embraced Finland at the diplomatic level in 2010. According to the Finish Diplomat, Finland became a non-hemispheric donor to the Caribbean Development Fund about nine years ago, as part of its dialogue with the Caribbean in the fields of renewable energy, ocean governance, environmental protection, meteorology and education.

“We look forward to continuing cooperation in the energy sector especially in the field of renewable energy,” Ambassador Pietikainen said. “We have world class technology for example in the field of wind energy and bio energy. Finland is one of the global leaders in waste to energy solutions and bio fuel technologies.”

Governor General Sir Neville Cenac noted some of the commonalities which exist between Saint Lucia and Finland in the area of democracy.

“The fact that Finnish women were the first in Europe to gain the right to vote in Parliamentary elections is the type of finishing on its parliamentary democracy the women in Saint Lucia loudly hail. I will not fail to point out, however, that in almost every important field of endeavor, the women of Saint Lucia man the fort—no doubt an inspiration to all men. Like Finland, our main objectives are the preservation of the democratic core values and the maintenance of world peace, blessings that always yield a good harvest, even in the worst of times. Your accurate account of Finland’s usefulness as a helpful partner in this hemisphere, bears repetition. It is enough however, to say with emphasis, it is fully endorsed. I therefore wish you your excellency a fruitful and rewarding tour of duty among us,” sir Neville said.

Finland marked its first century of independence from Russia in 2017. The country is a high-technology welfare state, which has made broadband access a legal right for every citizen. By 2015 more than 93 percent of the population was online—one of the highest rates of internet penetration in the European Union.