Finland is opposed to lifting sanctions against Russia
Finland advocates full implementation of the Minsk Agreements. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Timo Soini, during his working visit to Ukraine on February 17th at a meeting with Pavel Klimkin.
During the meeting of the Ministers, the Finnish side assured the Ukrainians that they would continue to adhere to the EU's common positions. However, the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements will be a precondition for the lifting of sanctions against Russia.
In turn, Klimkin reported about the latest cases of violation of Minsk Agreements by Russia.
Discussing Ukrainian-Finnish bilateral co-operation, the Ministers noted the importance of further deepening of the political dialogue. In this context, they talked about the upcoming visit of the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, to Finland.
Timo Soini positively described the prospects of the Ukrainian market for the Finnish businessmen. The sides agreed on further joint measures to deepen Ukrainian-Finnish trade and economic cooperation, including in the framework of a free trade zone between Ukraine and the EU.
The Ukrainian side expressed gratitude to Finland for its support on the issue of introducing a visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens.
The parties also positively assessed the nature of the cooperation in the framework of the international organizations and agreed on the further deepening of these contacts.