ISLAMABAD – Finland had decided to pull its flag down in Pakistan once again under Scandinavian nation’s strategic review of global network of diplomatic outposts.
In stunning diplomatic shake-up, Helsinki revealed that it will pull plug on its embassies in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Myanmar amid political shifts and dwindling economic ties. The announcement, made Friday through an official foreign ministry press release.
It said Foreign Office decided to close embassies of Finland in Islamabad, Kabul and Yangon in 2026, the statement declared, calling it operational and strategic reasons. According to Helsinki, the political climate in the three countries and their limited commercial engagement with Finland no longer justify maintaining full diplomatic missions.
Preparations to wind down all three embassies are already underway, with officials confirming that the missions will go dark sometime next year. The review aims to streamline operations, bolster Finland’s foreign and security policy priorities, and sharpen its export-promotion goals by reallocating resources to nations deemed more strategically vital.
Finland officials said the country’s operating environment is changing rapidly and vowed that changes will help build a “stronger and more competitive Finland” capable of managing its external relations with greater precision.
The embassy in Pakistan also faced turbulence before, it was shuttered in 2012 due to budget cuts, only to reopen a decade later in 2022. Now, the mission faces its second closure in 14 years. The announcement also comes on the heels of Sweden’s decision in 2023 to indefinitely close its embassy in Islamabad over security concerns.
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