Foreign Ministry's press releases

On Monday 25 September, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed issues relating to international crisis management.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has commissioned an independent evaluation of the development cooperation of 22 Finnish civil society organisations.

The UN has estimated that the treatment of Rohingya amounts to ethnic cleansing, and the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has demanded Myanmar to suspend military action against Rohingya.

The provisional application of the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada starts on 21 September 2017. Finnish companies will be able to take advantage of the Agreement in their trade with Canada.

The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Finland in Moscow commissioned a survey in summer 2017 to investigate the attitudes of Russians towards Finland. The survey was conducted by the Russian Levada Center. A total of 1,600 people from different parts of Russia responded to the survey. This was the first time a survey of this kind has been conducted in Russia.

Foreign and security policy aims to strengthen Finland’s international position, to secure Finland’s independence and territorial integrity as well as to improve the security and welfare of people in Finland.

Foreign Minister Timo Soini and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen will attend the 72nd Regular Session of the UN General Assembly in New York (Soini from 17 to 22 September and Mykkänen from 17 to 21 September). Finland’s delegation will be led by President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö, who will  deliver Finland’s address at the session on Wednesday 20 September 

Former president of Finland Tarja Halonen has been appointed to membership of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Independent Panel on mediation. The panel is based on an initiative to intensify mediation, made by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. 

The Finnish national who was kidnapped in Afghanistan in May has now been released and is safe.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will attend the Community of Democracies Governing Council Ministerial, hosted by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, held in Washington, DC, on 15 September. The topics on the meeting agenda will include fight against terrorism and the situation in North Korea.