During the closed-door meeting, Rantanen pressed Somalia to accept nationals convicted of crimes in Finland, reportedly suggesting that Helsinki would resume stalled development aid in return.
Somalia, however, rejected the proposal outright.
Kaab TV has also learned that Swiss authorities sought the “deportation of three Somali nationals” back to Mogadishu.
The Somali Ministry of Security refused that request as well five months ago.
The deportation standoff has already strained ties. Finland suspended its Somalia Country Programme in November last year, making any resumption conditional on “concrete progress” in readmission cooperation.
The dispute remains politically charged in Helsinki.
Just last Monday, Finland’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, Ville Tavio, told Finnish ambassadors that development cooperation with Somalia would stay suspended, citing a lack of progress in the return of Somali nationals whose residence permits had been revoked or whose deportations were pending.
The Somali-Finnish community estimates that between 100 and 200 citizens are affected, including individuals convicted of serious crimes such as rape and robbery. Forced returns from Finland to Somalia were frozen for nearly three years beginning in 2021 but have gradually resumed since late 2024.
In 2025 alone, Finnish authorities have returned 11 Somalis, three of them voluntarily.
PHOTO: The new immigration HQ partially funded by Finland.
For years, Helsinki has lobbied Mogadishu to accept back Somali citizens convicted abroad. Yet, the very immigration officers and state agents trained and funded under Finnish taxpayers money were themselves implicated in facilitating illegal migration.