Russia-Finland Relations an Example of Good Neighborliness: Russian Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW, October 3 (RIA Novosti) - The relations between Finland and Russia serve as an example of good neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation, spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Lukashevich told RIA Novosti on Friday.

"Over the past two decades, bilateral relations have served as an example of good neighborliness, equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields. A regular and rich dialogue has traditionally been maintained between our countries," Lukashevich said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

"Russia and Finland interact constructively at the United Nations, other international structures, as well as in regional formats in Northern Europe and the Arctic, such as the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, the Arctic Council, the Northern Dimension," the spokesman stated.

He noted that "inter-parliamentary cooperation has increased in recent years", "inter-regional relations have been actively developed" and "working contacts have been established between ministries and departments."

According to Lukashevich, "the dialogue that has taken place between the presidents and foreign ministers of Russia and Finland in recent months indicate a recovery, though not in the same volume, of the intensity of Russian-Finnish political contacts."

The spokesman pointed out that Finland has canceled or postponed a number of joint activities over the situation in Ukraine, including a session of the Russian-Finnish Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation, the Russian visits of Finnish Defense Minister Carl Haglund and Finnish Parliament Speaker Eero Heinäluoma and meetings between the transport ministers and ministers of internal affairs.

The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that such actions "do not correspond to the spirit of Russian-Finnish good neighborliness," Lukashevich stated.

On October 6 and 7, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja is set to make an official visit to Russia by invitation of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.