Foreign Ministry's press releases

The second HAnalys seminar, an annual event launched by Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini and Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström, will be held at the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre Hanaholmen.

SIn 2018, Finland processed a total of 768,978 applications for a Schengen visa. The number of applications dropped by seven per cent compared to the previous year. Of visa applications for entry to Finland, 87 per cent came from Russia. India overtook Ukraine in the number of visa applications, being now the third biggest in the list of visa national countries. In June 2018, Ukrainian citizens in possession of a biometric passport were exempted from the visa requirement, which means that a visa is needed only by those who have a non-biometric passport.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will meet Minister Margot Wallström, who continues as Minister for Foreign Affairs in Sweden's new Government, on 29 January 2019 at the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre Hanaholmen. This is Minister Wallström's first official visit abroad as Minister in Prime Minister Stefan Löfven's II Government.

Finland ranked first in the Good Country Index published on 23 January. The results of the Index indicate that, relative to its size, Finland contributes more to humanity and burdens the planet less than any other country.

Finland supports the access to education and child protection of children who have escaped the Syrian crisis to Lebanon. Through the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, Finland will allocate EUR 3.7 million to supporting the most vulnerable children’s access to education.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on 23–25 January 2019.

This is FINLAND Magazine 2018–2019, the English-language annual publication showcasing Finnish expertise and experts, gets pumped up about Finnish start-up enterprises, Finland’s superior arctic expertise and the outlook for circular economy in Finland. The magazine, which is available at Finland’s foreign missions and distributed by the Team Finland network, in particular, to potential export markets and at export events, also gives insight to Finnish food and food culture, and our public libraries from Ivalo to Mariehamn.

The National Bureau of Investigation and the Finnish Border Guard are investigating a series of crimes suspected to involve aggravated facilitation of illegal entry and gross abuse of public office. Crimes related to issuance of Schengen visas are suspected to have been committed in Finland's Embassy of Ankara in Turkey.

The Foreign Minister’s Special Representative on Mediation Jutta Urpilainen, Member of Parliament, says that development of EU peace mediation and conflict prevention work is topical now, ten years after the adoption of the concept on strengthening EU mediation and dialogue capacities. Urpilainen and Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini took part in an unofficial ministerial mediation breakfast in Brussels.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Soini will attend the Council of Europe Winter Session in Strasbourg on 21–22 January and hold a speech at the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) in the capacity of the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.