The Finnish Foreign Ministry’s special representative, Ambassador Pasi Patokallio, and the Kiribati President Anote Tong signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations on Friday. The signing ceremony was followed by celebrations in the Kiribati capital, Tarawa.
Finnish President Tarja Halonen made the decision to establish relations with Kiribati. The low-lying country is particularly vulnerable to climate change.
Kiribati’s population is just under a hundred thousand, and its islands straddle the equator.