Current affairs
23.10.2015
Finland’s chairmanship of Barents Euro-Arctic Council brought to an end succesfully
Finland’s two-year chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) for the period 2013–2015 had a fine ending when Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini handed over the chairmanship gavel to the next chairman, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council held in Oulu on 14–15 October.
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18.6.2013
The Nordic and African countries gathered at Aulanko in summery surroundings
The Nordic foreign ministers met this weekend, 15–16 June, with their colleagues from eleven African countries. The meeting was hosted by Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. In addition to the Nordic countries, the participants came from Benin, Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. The themes discussed at this meeting were the Nordic welfare state, inclusive economic growth and Africa’s conflicts.
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24.5.2013
The Arctic Council opened doors towards the east
In its meeting, the Arctic Council granted observer status on the Council to six new states. In the Kiruna meeting, the Foreign Ministers also signed an agreement on cooperation on marine oil pollution, preparedness and response in the Arctic. Europe Information just published a book concerning the Arctic Region, “Arktinen kutsuu - Suomi, EU ja arktinen alue” (in Finnish, “Call of the Arctic – Finland, the EU and the Arctic Region”).
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16.10.2012
25.1.2012
Nordic development ministers: Our common voice must be strengthened
The Nordic development ministers who met in Helsinki on Monday expressed the wish to strengthen their cooperation and the visibility of the Nordic countries for instance in the work done by UN agencies. “We have to show that we Nordic countries speak in one strong Nordic voice,” said Christian Friis Bach, the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation.
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10.11.2011
Foreign Ministers of Denmark and Finland stressed the importance of Nordic cooperation
EU affairs and Nordic cooperation were discussed at the meeting between Danish Foreign Minister Villy Søvndal and Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja on 10 November. Both ministers stressed the importance of Nordic cooperation at their press conference. Minister Tuomioja hoped for increased Nordic input with regard to international affairs.
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3.11.2011
Nordic countries concerned about measures against Palestinians
The five Nordic foreign ministers discussed the situation in the Middle East today, focusing particularly on relations between Israel and the Palestinians in the wake of this week’s vote in UNESCO. Although the Nordic countries’ positions differed as regards the timing of Palestinian membership of UNESCO, they agree that the way forward must be based on a resumption of negotiations and the vision of a two-state solution.
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31.8.2011
Coverage of the diplomatic missions network to be handled among the Nordic and Baltic countries
The NB8 Foreign Ministers’ meeting was hosted by Minister Tuomioja on 29–30 August. The ministers discussed increasing the placement of their diplomats throughout the world so that they could work together in one another’s diplomatic missions. The coverage of the diplomatic missions network could thus be arranged in cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries. This would also bring added benefits, such as better coverage, flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
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6.4.2011
Nordic Foreign Ministers: Each Nordic country has its own important role
The Nordic Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Helsinki on Tuesday focused on discussions of the present and future role of the Nordic countries in Libya. The Foreign Ministers stressed the Nordic countries’ unanimous approach to Libya.
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