Foreign Ministry's press releases

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will visit Slovenia and attend the 2019 Bled Strategic Forum on 3 September. The Forum will gather heads of state, foreign ministers, representatives of international organisations, and leaders representing business life and academia.

The topics of discussion at the Informal Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs (Gymnich) included the wider Middle East, the Arctic region, hybrid threats and regional cooperation with the Western Balkan partners. After the meeting, Finland arranged a separate informal lunch, which was also attended by a number of invited human rights defenders from around the world.

On 2 September, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will visit the European Parliament in Brussels to present the priorities of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU and exchange views on current EU external relations matters with members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will visit Stockholm on 30 August to meet Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation Peter Eriksson and Minister for Foreign Trade Ann Linde.

The 14th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification will convene in New Delhi, India, on 2 to 13 September 2019. Finland represents the European Union and its member states as part of Finland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

On 29–31 August 2019, Europe Forum Turku will gather Finnish opinion-makers and citizens to discuss Finland's role in Europe and in the European Union. The Foreign Ministry’s Europe Information will organise a discussion event in Turku on Thursday 29 August.

On 26 August 2019, at 17.00–18.30, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will organise a free discussion event open to the public. It will give insight into the themes of the informal meetings of the EU’s defence and foreign affairs ministers (Gymnich), to take place in Finland next week.

The foreign ministers of the EU member states will hold an informal meeting (Gymnich) in Helsinki on 29 and 30 August. The topics to be discussed include the wider Middle East, the Arctic region and hybrid threats. In addition, regional cooperation will be discussed with the foreign ministers of the Western Balkan partners.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will visit New York on 23 August 2019.

EU Special Representative (EUSR) to the Horn of Africa Alexander Rondos will visit Finland on 28–29 August.