Islamabad, April 4 (AHN) The Finnish Embassy in Islamabad will cease its operations this summer, with the mission continuing to function until the final date is announced. After reopening its Embassy in 2022 following a decade-long closure, Helsinki has decided to shut it again, the local media reported.

Finland's neighbouring country, Sweden, had already closed its mission in Pakistan indefinitely in 2023 due to security concerns.

Citing Finnish Embassy sources, leading Pakistani daily 'The News International' reported that the mission’s closure was driven by strategic and operational reasons. The Embassy offers limited consular services, while visa and passport-related work is often handled by other Finnish missions, including the one in Abu Dhabi.

In November 2025, the Finnish Foreign Ministry had announced that the Embassies of Finland in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Myanmar would be closed in 2026.

“The Embassies will be closed for operational and strategic reasons, which are linked to changes in the countries’ political situation and their limited commercial and economic relations with Finland," the Finnish Ministry had stated.

Following the announcement last year, leading Baloch human rights defender Mir Yar Baloch had lauded Finland’s decision to close its Embassy in Pakistan, saying the move underscores grave concerns over Islamabad’s governance failures and deteriorating security environment.

“We commend the government of Finland for its decision to close its Embassy in Pakistan, a move reflecting deep concerns over Pakistan’s governance failures and security environment. We urge other nations to reassess their diplomatic engagement where Pakistani state-linked actors misuse diplomatic platforms or undermine international norms by jeopardising global peace and security,” Baloch said in a post on X.

He had also commended the United Arab Emirates (UAE) decision to tighten its visa regulations for Pakistanis amid the escalating security concerns and documented criminal networks operating under the protection or negligence of certain Pakistani state structures.

“The Gulf region has faced increasing incidents of car theft, organised burglary, organised begging networks and other coordinated crimes attributed to groups exploiting weak oversight. The recent arrest of 13 individuals involved in a major cattle theft ring underscores the seriousness of these concerns and the necessity of stronger regulatory measures,” he had noted.