The mayor of Oradea, Florin Birta, and the president of the Bihor County Council, Ilie Bolojan, received on Thursday, April 25, the visit of His Excellency Leena Liukkonen, the ambassador of Finland to Romania, who was accompanied by Mircea Hotoleanu, Honorary Consul of Finland in Cluj-Napoca.
The main purpose of this visit was to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, with an emphasis on the cooperation between the local administration and Finnish companies operating or wishing to operate in our city.
“The Finnish ambassador emphasized the importance of these investments for stimulating economic growth and job creation in the region, expressing confidence in the continuation and expansion of this commitment by Finnish companies on the model of the Nokian Tires company. The ambassador also stated that he is impressed by the pace of development of the city of Oradea and that it should export its best practice models to other cities in Romania”, states the Oradea City Hall, adding that the discussions then focused on Oradea’s tourism potential and of Bihor county, as well as the ways of promoting it abroad. The President of Bihor CJ, Ilie Bolojan, highlighted the importance of promoting the tourist potential of the Băile Felix resort in Finland, by diversifying the offer to satisfy the needs and preferences of Nordic visitors, and also emphasized the fact that in the 1980s the Băile Felix resort was already a well-known destination Finnish public.
In this context, Mayor Florin Birta mentioned the importance of the new air connections that will connect Oradea with the most important cities in Europe and the world, a fact that represents an extraordinary opportunity for the economic and touristic development of our city. “These air connections will constitute a significant step towards attracting investment and promoting tourism, strengthening Oradea’s position as a destination of international interest. We invite Finnish tourists and businessmen to visit Oradea, we are convinced that they will be pleasantly impressed by what they will find here”, said Mayor Florin Birta.
Another important topic of discussion was education and academic exchange between the two countries. The ambassador emphasized the increased interest of Finnish students to study medicine at the University of Oradea, noting that they are highly valued once they return to Finland.
