The Honorary Consulate of Finland in Saint Lucia has officially reopened, marking a renewed chapter in the longstanding diplomatic relationship between the two countries.
The occasion was commemorated with a cocktail reception last Friday, attended by government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, business leaders and invited guests. Hosted under the patronage of His Excellency Pertti Ikonen, Ambassador of Finland to the Caribbean, the ceremony saw businessman and Chief Executive Officer of the JQ Group of Companies, Gordon Charles, officially introduced as Finland’s new Honorary Consul to Saint Lucia.
Accepting the appointment, Charles thanked the Government of Finland for “placing their confidence” in him and expressed optimism about strengthening ties between the two nations through greater collaboration and trade.
As part of that vision, he encouraged Saint Lucians to make greater use of the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which allows CARIFORUM countries, including Saint Lucia, to export goods to European Union member states duty-free and quota-free while creating new opportunities for trade, investment and economic growth.
“We look forward to these opportunities and the growth of our relationship between the two nations,” Charles said.
Ambassador Ikonen echoed those sentiments, describing the EPA as an important tool for expanding trade and economic cooperation between Finland and Saint Lucia. He encouraged local businesses to take advantage of the arrangement and even joked that he may have to begin importing Saint Lucia’s banana ketchup, calling it “an excellent product of your country which we do not get in Finland”.
Ikonen also paid tribute to former Honorary Consul Berthia Parle, thanking the tourism stalwart and former President of the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association, for more than a decade of what he described as “exemplary” service in the role.
Also present was Minister for External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs, Alva Baptiste, who stressed that for small developing states like Saint Lucia, building strategic alliances and maintaining strong diplomatic relationships remain critical to national development. He described partnerships such as the one shared with Finland as key to that effort.
“We are determined to pull through with strategic alignments. With good friends like Finland, we are going to continue that journey to the palace of victory and development. Our foreign policy posture will always encourage unity, peaceful resolutions to conflict, and for us to use diplomacy as a tool to resolve problems,” Baptiste said.
