H.E. Mr. Niklas Lindqvist, Ambassador of Finland to Montenegro
Finland and Montenegro strengthen political dialogue, Nordic cooperation and economic ties through sustainability, digitalization and multilateral engagement
From Moscow to New York, Brussels to Central Asia – Finland’s Ambassador has seen diplomacy from every angle. Now in Montenegro, he shares how global experience shapes his mission, why NATO and EU integration matter, and how culture, innovation, and green cooperation are opening new doors between the two countries.
Your diplomatic mission in Montenegro began at the end of 2023 when you arrived. Which moments in your career determined your approach to diplomacy, and how did they lead to this situation, where you became the Ambassador of Finland to Montenegro?
You know, diplomatic careers often span many years and involve moving to different places every three or four years. So, in my case, I worked in Helsinki, then in Moscow, then in New York, then again in Helsinki, again in Moscow, and then also in Brussels. For five years I also served as roving Ambassador of Finland to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
You really gain a lot of different experiences along the way. And that is, in fact, the essence of a diplomatic career-to train for different things, to work on them, and to take responsibility. This is especially useful when you eventually reach a leadership position, such as ambassador, because you are then responsible for all those areas. That’s why you need to know a little about everything.
Have you noticed any significant shifts in relations between Finland and Montenegro during 2024 and 2025?
I think the biggest change is probably that, when I arrived, bilateral visits had been interrupted by the pandemic, which affected the whole world. I am very grateful that during my mandate as Ambassador the Finnish Minister of European Affairs visited Montenegro last year and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro visited Finland in 2024. We have also had other visits from Finland: the speaker of parliament, a high level OSCE visit during the Finnish OSCE chairpersonship, and so on. So, there is great interest in developing relations.
Could Finland’s model of cross-sectoral collaboration in public policymaking be applied to Montenegro’s EU accession process, particularly in areas such as environmental law and digital governance?
I think that is truly the core of Finnish society, because we work together on all issues. It is not the state that always plays the leading role; the whole of society is involved. And not just the opposition, but also human rights organizations, the whole civil sector, and our business community. So, everyone is part of that way of working together and developing our society. Therefore, I think this is a good model for Montenegro to develop similar approach, since we have achieved good results in Finland. It’s easy to understand the advantages of that, starting with resources, for example. If the state must do everything itself, then that is a great burden.
How does Finland’s NATO membership affect its diplomatic course in the Western Balkans?
That was a truly enormous change for us-joining NATO. That is something that strongly changed public opinion as well. When Russia attacked Ukraine, the Finnish population very quickly shifted to the side of those who supported joining NATO, even though there had been considerable skepticism before about whether it was necessary or not. The citizens truly saw the need for it. In just a few weeks, support for NATO membership rose to over 60 per cent. And so it happened, we entered the alliance. And we are grateful for the support we got from Montenegro in the accession process. Our Embassy in Belgrade is also a Contact Point Embassy for NATO in 2025-2026.
How do you assess Montenegro’s role in Nordic-Balkan cooperation in 2025, especially when it comes to trade and cultural exchange, which is a very important aspect of that cooperation?
We work very closely with my Nordic colleagues. The four Nordic embassies have for a long time had joint projects that promote, among other things, the Green Agenda and related issues. We just finished a project called “Nordic Green and Smart Cities- Building Partnership in the Western Balkans”. We promoted the smart city concept, which is not just about technology. Today, there are many technologies that can be used for that purpose. Still, the essence lies in the planning process and in involving the entire population in shaping how the city is designed, to make it a better place to live.
In that sense, I think the Nordic countries have extensive experience and knowledge. We have already done it. We haven’t finished the whole process; we are still working on it, but we have, for example, an area in Helsinki where startups can test new applications and solutions they want to try. Then you can see whether those applications work. And that is precisely what I was talking about earlier: working together with the civil sector, the business community, and city authorities to find something that will improve things. So those are examples of that we are promoting from a Nordic perspective. And I really think we have a lot to share with Montenegro. But not just to share-it’s a two-way process. We need to work together with Montenegro and see where we can learn from each other.
Sustainable development is a priority today. Where do you see the greatest opportunities in the Montenegrin economy for Finnish companies already present on our market, both this year and in the years ahead?
At the Embassy, we have focused particularly on sectors such as information and communication technologies, green and clean technologies, education, and innovations in general. These are areas where, in my opinion, Finland has a lot to offer and where our companies are looking for new markets. That’s why we actively promote those sectors in both Montenegro and Finland: one of our biggest challenges is that Montenegro may not be well enough known in Finland. We are also working on that kind of promotion.
Which cultural or educational exchanges with Montenegro in 2025 or 2026 make you happiest when it comes to the future?
We are always happy to share our experiences when it comes to education. I hope we can do more around this theme in the coming years. On the cultural front, we have been quite active. Last year we celebrated the 80th anniversary of the publication of the first Moomin book by Finnish author Tove Jansson. We organized exhibitions about her life and the Moomins in both Herzeg Novi and Podgorica. In Herzeg Novi this was done in an even larger format of “Finnish Days in Herzeg Novi”. In 2026 we are planning to screen some interesting Finnish films in Montenegro.
How do you see the role of tools such as culture and events in shaping diplomacy?
They are extremely important and significant. That is a way to present your country and establish connections with other countries. It is a powerful tool. For example, last year we celebrated the 160th anniversary of our composer Jean Sibelius’s birth. Through this we reached an impressive number of people. That’s how those cultural connections are created that you can build upon. And that is always something extremely valuable. This year, we plan to take part in both European Film Festival in Podgorica and the Fortezza Film Festival in Perast. We will also partner with the organizers of The Operosa opera festival in Herzeg Novi.
Looking ahead, how do you see the development of relations between Finland and Montenegro in the coming years, but also during your mandate?
For us it is very encouraging that Montenegro is proceeding towards a membership in the European Union. We are looking forward to welcoming another member. The big winners, however, will be the citizens of Montenegro. The benefit of membership is enormous not only from an economic point of view, but in the strong commitment to rule of law and democracy. So, I expect our relations to develop in a very positive way and the cooperation between our two countries to grow significantly in the future.