Press releases of Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

The first Minister of the Environment and Climate Change of the Federal Republic of Somalia Khadija Mohamed Almakhzoumi visits Finland on 31 January–3 February 2023. The visit is on the invitation of the Finnish Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Maria Ohisalo. The purpose of the visit is to support the new ministry in starting its work.

An increasingly tense international situation, prolonged conflicts, catastrophes exacerbated by climate change and the questioning of the justification for human rights are further increasing the need for a human rights based development policy.

This is FINLAND Magazine 2023–2024, a publication exploring Finland’s strengths and expertise, is now available in English. This year’s Magazine highlights some of the building blocks of a good life in Finland: nature, work, culture, renewable energy and innovation.

Press release, Ministry of the Interior and Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will visit Tallinn in Estonia and Riga in Latvia on 25 January.

EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on 23 January. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will represent Finland at the meeting.

In 2022, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the missions abroad provided consular services to a total of approximately 256,000 customers. The demand for advisory services, in particular, continued to grow. During the year, the ministry’s 24/7 service received more than 8,000 contacts in total.

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari visits Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates on 16 January and attends the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has decided to temporarily close the Murmansk Office, which operates under the Consulate General in St. Petersburg.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will meet Denmark’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen in Helsinki on 20 January.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will be present at Matka Nordic Travel Fair, held at Messukeskus in Helsinki from 19 to 22 January. Finns are again interested in travelling abroad after the pandemic years.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto and Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will attend the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. Minister Haavisto will be in Davos from 17 to 19 January and Minister Skinnari from 17 to 18 January.

The Ministers met in Helsinki on 12 January.

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari and Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen are visiting Kyiv, Ukraine, on 9 January. In Kyiv, the ministers are meeting Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration, Minister of Energy, Minister of Internal Affairs and the Mayor of Kyiv.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend a security conference in Sälen, Sweden, on 8 January.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will visit the capital of Senegal, Dakar, from 2 to 3 January. In Dakar, he will meet Senegalese Foreign Minister Aïssata Tall Sall and other state leaders.

Finland is supporting the acute needs of Ukraine’s energy sector and green reconstruction through the new Green Recovery Programme with a total of EUR 5 million.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has submitted a report on Finland’s activities in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021 to Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.

The new year brings changes to the Act on the Making of Decisions Concerning the Provision of and Request for International Assistance, among others.

Amendments to the Aliens Act will extend the use of a long-term visa known as a D visa. The amendments will contribute to promoting education-based and labour-based immigration and streamline entry procedures. The President of the Republic approved the amendments on 20 December.