Swedish Ambassador to Finland visited Kuopio
Swedish Ambassador to Finland Peter Ericson visited Kuopio on 26–27 March. The sunny spring weather welcomed the ambassador and showcased Kuopio at its best. Discussions covered many topics from comprehensive security to local sporting success.
Strengthening Nordic Bonds at the University of Eastern Finland
The visit began with an introduction to the University of Eastern Finland, where the guest was received by 2nd Vice Dean of Education for the Faculty of Health Sciences Arja Lyytinen and the university’s international development services. The program also included meetings with students.
The talks emphasized strengthening and balancing student mobility between Finland and Sweden, promoting the study of the Swedish language and increasing visibility so that more Swedish students would apply for exchanges in Finland.
Furthermore, deepening Nordic cooperation through various networks and programs was discussed, such as the Nordic Centre in India, the Nordic Centre at Fudan University, the Southern Africa Nordic Centre, as well as the Nordlys network, the Nordplus programme and Erasmus+ programme. These networks and programmes provide valuable opportunities for expanding Nordic academic collaboration and reinforcing regional relations.
Cultural experience at the city theatre
Thursday evening’s program included the Swedish Riksteatern’s performance Dödsdansen – Kuoleman tanssi at Kuopio City Theatre. The group included City Mayor Soile Lahti, Theatre Director Antti Lahti and Managing Director of Dance Theatre Minimi Jan Liesaho. The ambassador praised both the performance and the theatre building itself.
– The audience’s comments commended the charismatic actors and the touching interpretation of Strindberg’s classic relationship drama, summarises Theatre Director Antti Lahti.
The Luola attracted interest as a unique dual-purpose solution
Friday morning focused on comprehensive security with a visit to the sports and event venue Luola, which also serves as a civil defence shelter when necessary. Presenting at Luola were Kuopio’s Safety Manager Mikko Moilanen, Senior Specialist Asko Muhonen and Designer of Sports Services Ilja Venäläinen.
The discussions highlighted the exceptional dual-purpose nature of Luola. This dual functionality ensures, that the shelter remains in regular use, well maintained and ready at all times. In addition, the sporting achievements of Kuopio were also discussed.
– I was impressed by how diversely Luola can be utilized as a venue for sports and events in peacetime, and how it can be converted into a shelter within three days, Ericson says.
Current outlooks for the city
After the visit to Luola the program continued with a lunch meeting at the City Hall. The Chair of the City Council Tanja Airaksinen began by presenting the City of Kuopio. The ambassador was especially interested in the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on the area, employment in the Kuopio region and the importance of language skills. The preservation of Swedish language proficiency was considered important, particularly from a historical perspective.
– Sweden is an important and close neighbor to us, and nurturing our collaboration is increasingly important in a changing world. Although Swedish is not much present in everyday life in Kuopio, our connection and dialogue with our neighbor remains strong – and it is worth maintaining and developing in the future as well, Airaksinen says.
Kuopio was previously unfamiliar to Ambassador Ericson. Based on his brief visit, he highlighted the city’s strengths:
“Kuopio is well kept, well organised, and a very beautiful city.”
Peter Ericson
