Foreign Ministry's press releases

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will visit the capital of Senegal, Dakar, from 2 to 3 January. In Dakar, he will meet Senegalese Foreign Minister Aïssata Tall Sall and other state leaders.

Finland is supporting the acute needs of Ukraine’s energy sector and green reconstruction through the new Green Recovery Programme with a total of EUR 5 million.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has submitted a report on Finland’s activities in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021 to Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.

Finland supports UN agencies in their work to promote stability and human rights. Authoritarian states, conflicts, the food and climate crises and the COVID-19 pandemic are increasing inequality and weakening security and wellbeing worldwide.

The new year brings changes to the Act on the Making of Decisions Concerning the Provision of and Request for International Assistance, among others.

IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, and Finland announces the establishment of the Finland-Latin America and the Caribbean Blended Finance Climate Fund.

Amendments to the Aliens Act will extend the use of a long-term visa known as a D visa. The amendments will contribute to promoting education-based and labour-based immigration and streamline entry procedures. The President of the Republic approved the amendments on 20 December.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has issued a Decree on Fees for Services Produced by the Foreign Service. The new decree will enter into force on 1 January 2023.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk will visit Finland from 18 to 19 December. He will meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto, who will be hosting the visit, and Prime Minister Sanna Marin.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend a virtual Nordic foreign ministers’ meeting in N5 format on 13 December. Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly will attend the meeting as a guest.