Turkish Parliament Speaker Bülent Arınç visited Finland in March 2006, attending a dinner hosted by Finnish Parliament Speaker Paavo Lipponen in Helsinki.
Arınç praised Finland's role in Türkiye's EU accession process, noting that screening on 15 chapters between Türkiye and the EU had been completed. He pointed to Finland's consistent support for Türkiye since the 1999 Helsinki summit, where Türkiye's EU candidacy was formally recognized, and credited Lipponen with contributing to that outcome.
Lipponen noted that Finland's upcoming EU Council presidency would provide a fresh opportunity to strengthen relations between Türkiye and the bloc. He also highlighted Türkiye's strategic geographic position, saying it was poised to play a significant role in European energy affairs.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in March 2006, in its own words.