Foreign Ministry's press releases

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen will visit Belarus on 12-13 April 2017.

In 2016, development cooperation accounted for 0.44 per cent of gross national income. Costs arising from the reception of refugees, included in development cooperation funding, came to EUR 118 million, which represented approximately 12 per cent of Finland’s total disbursements for development cooperation.

A total of 9,409 persons visited the Finnish diplomatic missions abroad to cast their votes in the advance voting of the municipal elections. The number is higher than in the municipal elections of 2012, when the total number of voters abroad was 8,267.

The international community meets in Brussels on 5 April to discuss the situation in Syria, the effects of the crisis on the region and intervention in these. Finland is further increasing its support to assist those suffering from the war in Syria and Syria’s neighbouring countries, and Finland’s pledge of support for 2017 will increase to a total of EUR 35 million.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will illuminate the seaside façade of its main building Merikasarmi in blue and yellow tonight as a mark of respect for the victims of the recent terrorist attacks and to honour their families and friends.

On Friday 7 April, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the recent events in Syria. Finland has strongly condemned the attack in the village of Khan Shaykhun in southern Idlib on 4 April, where chemical weapons caused extensive damage.

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Erlan Abdyldaev will visit Finland on 11 April and meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. Foreign Minister Abdyldaev will also meet Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen.

The universal income experiment, the education system, Finland as a tourist destination and Nato membership are all examples of the top themes that attracted the attention of the world media in 2016 when it came to Finland.

Statement by the Development Policy Committee: The EU needs stronger development policy and cooperation more than ever before

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Under-Secretary-General Stephen O'Brien will visit Helsinki on 6–7 April, where he will take part in a meeting between the Nordic countries and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). During the visit, he will also meet with Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen.