Foreign Minister Stubb to attend the Nordic–African Foreign Ministers Meeting in Denmark
Press Releases 75/2009
10 March, 2009
Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb will participate in the Nordic–African Foreign Ministers Meeting, to take place in Helsingør, Denmark on 11–12 March. This informal forum of dialogue has been convened since 2001, the site alternating between the Nordic countries and Africa. At the meeting, the foreign ministers of the Nordic countries and ten African countries exchange ideas on topical issues. The forum was founded in 2001 by then Foreign Minister Anna Lindh of Sweden. The African countries that will attend the meeting are Benin, Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.
The host for this meeting will be Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller of Denmark. Other Nordic foreign ministers who will participate in this meeting are Carl Bildt of Sweden and Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway.
The topics of the meeting are climate change, especially its implications for security in Africa, peace and security in Africa, foreign policy issues topical in Africa and the Durban Anti-racism Review Conference. The item dealing with peace and security will address, among others, issues pertaining to the development of democracy and good governance and the UN Secretary-General’s fresh report on Responsibility to Protect, R2P.
Among the foreign policy questions likely to be discussed are the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the President of Sudan and the situations in Zimbabwe and Somalia. In addition, Connie Hedegaard, the Danish Minister for Climate and Energy, will give a talk on preparations for the UN climate change convention to be held in Copenhagen in December.
Additional information: Juha Kirstilä, Press Attaché to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, mobile tel. + 358 40 552 8200, Tanja Jääskeläinen, Senior Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, mobile tel. +358 40 511 3786, and Teemu Tanner, Director General of the Department for Africa and the Middle East, mobile tel. +358 40 826 8624