Foreign ministers prepared for EU Summits
Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
Government Communications Unit
Press release 206/2007
15 October, 2007
The foreign ministers of the European Union made preparations for the Informal Meeting of Heads of State or Government to take place in Lisbon and the EU–Russia Summit when the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) met in Luxembourg on Monday, 15 October. Finland was represented at the meeting by Minister for Foreign Affairs Ilkka Kanerva and Minister of Migration and European Affairs Astrid Thors.
The Informal Meeting of Heads of State or Government to take place at the end of the week was prepared during the Intergovernmental Conference (ICG) held in connection with the GAERC meeting. The base for discussion was the proposal for the Treaty that had been polished in the working group of legal experts. Finland supported the proposal discussed by the working group because it corresponds with the assignment of by the European Council in June. The Treaty will be discussed at the Informal Meeting of Heads of State or Government in Lisbon on 18–19 October, where Finland will be represented by Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and Minister of Migration and European Affairs Astrid Thors.
At its meeting the Council prepared the EU–Russia Summit that will be held on 26 October in Mafra, Portugal. Relations between the EU and Russia as well as topical international issues will be discussed at the Summit. In preparation for the Summit, Finland has emphasised environmental issues and cross-border project cooperation. In addition, Finland has raised the question of export duties for round wood set by Russia. Finland also stressed that relations between the EU and Russia must be seen as a strategic partnership, and solutions to individual issues can be sought on that basis.
The foreign ministers also discussed the situation in Burma/Myanmar. Finland considers it important that the human rights violations and violence directed at peaceful demonstrators be condemned. The Council gave its support to the work of UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari and agreed on additional sanctions against Burma/Myanmar, which Finland also supported.
Moreover, the ministers decided to launch preparations for the EU military crisis management operation to Chad and the Central African Republic, countries where the Darfur crisis is reflected as a large-scale influx of refugees and a weakened security situation. The operation is based on a resolution of the UN Security Council. The aim is to improve the region’s security, to help humanitarian aid reach its destination, and to support the work of UN and Chad police forces in refugee camps. The extent of the operation would be at most 4,000 peacekeepers, and it would last for one year. Finland plans to participate in the operation.
As concerns the Western Balkans, the ministers discussed the progress of the Kosovo Troika’s talks. In conjunction with the GAERC meeting, Carla del Ponte, prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, gave her views on Serbia’s cooperation with the ICTY. Also in conjunction with the meeting, the Montenegro Stability and Association Agreement was signed.
Other questions of external relations that were discussed included Iran, Iraq, the Middle East, Libya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Uzbekistan and the EU’s economic partnership agreements with African, Caribbean and Pacific states.
Additional information: Pilvi-Sisko Vierros-Villeneuve, Director General, Political Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 40 721 1705, and Helena Tuuri, State Under-Secretary, EU Affairs, Government Secretariat for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 553 3494