Foreign Ministry's press releases

According to a report commissioned by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, most messages sent by representatives of ethnic communities living in Finland to their former home countries offer a realistic image of Finland. However, potential asylum seekers in particular do not always believe this message.

The Rt Hon David Davis, British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, will visit Finland and meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini on 13 February.

The presiding officers of the Development Policy Committee are pleased to note that Finland has voiced its political support for the ‘She Decides’ initiative launched by the Netherlands and declared that it will increase its funding for the promotion of sexual and reproductive health.

The century-old Finland has provided more development aid than it has received for half of the duration of its independence. To honour the achievement, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has produced a quiz entitled #Suomi100 & the world and will report 100 results in its development cooperation activities in the course of the year.

Minister for Nordic Cooperation Anne Berner will attend the first meeting of Ministers of Nordic Cooperation in Oslo on 9 February.

Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charles Flanagan will visit Finland and meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini on 10 February.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen will visit Myanmar on 8–10 February. The aim of the visit is to support the civilian government’s reforms, to promote human rights and to strengthen the economic relations between the two countries.

Today Finland adds seven new emojis to its wildly successful collection of Finland emojis.

In the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the recruitment process is conducted according to law and each candidate is examined individually. Security considerations are also taken seriously. The security assessment is influenced by the functions and duties of the post and whether the person will have access to classified information.

It is a cause for concern for Finland that the work done to enhance the sexual and reproductive health of women in developing countries is facing headwinds. In its own development policy, Finland has therefore focussed its resources on the strengthening of girls’ and women’s rights.