Russian President is due to visit Finland on Thursday to hold talks with Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto. 

Reports citing TASS, the negotiations are due to focus on Russian-Finnish cooperation in trade, culture and in humanitarian and environmental fields. The heads of state will discuss topical regional and global issues, the Kremlin press service said.

Putin will visit Finland at Niinisto’s request to attend celebrations marking the centenary of Finland’s independence in the town of Savonlinna. It will also host an international opera festival featuring Bolshoi singers.

Cooperation with Russia

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto told TASS ahead of Putin’s visit that his dialogue with the Russian president is direct and clear, and there are not any topics they could not discuss.

"This time bilateral relations will certainly shift to center-stage, we have seen slight upsurge for the better in the economies of both Russia and Finland," the president said.

"This means more activity in the economic sector. I will also be curious to learn from President Putin his view on global developments, as a host of events that take place these days," Niinisto said.

History of Finland’s independence

On December 6, 1917, the Finnish parliament declared the country an independent state. The Soviet Russia recognized Finland’s independence a few weeks later, on December 31. Considering several plans for the future statehood, including its own monarchy, the country opted for a republican government. Before the Bolshevik revolution and since 1809, the country had been the Grand Duchy of Finland in the Russian Empire.

Marking the centenary of their independence, the Finns have staged numerous events under the slogan Together. The poll conducted by the national statistics center says that 92% of the Finns are convinced that the nation’ collective work will pave the way for the republic’s successful future.