Estonia
Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will host Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel in Finland.
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) will close its office in Helsinki by the end of 2023. The Social Impact Investing Initiative, managed by UNOPS, was discontinued already at the start of the year due to a corruption case.
Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend a meeting of Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers (NB8), to be held in Latvia 6–7 September.
The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs has appointed an internal working group to prepare a reform of the Foreign Service in accordance with the Government Programme. The term of the working group will last from 4 September to December, when the group will submit its final report and recommendations to the ministers of the Foreign Ministry.
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend the informal meeting of EU development ministers in Cádiz in Spain in 4–5 September.
Tuomas Tähti has been appointed as the second Special Adviser to Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio. He serves as the Minister’s Special Adviser in development policy.
Some of the prices of services provided by the Finnish missions and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will rise. The new prices will enter into force on 1 September 2023.
On 6 July 2023, Russia announced the closure of Finland’s Consulate General in St Petersburg as of 1 October 2023. Consequently, the customer service at the Consulate General will close on 1 September 2023.
EU foreign affairs ministers will meet at the Informal Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers (Gymnich) in Toledo in Spain on 30–31 August. State Secretary Lauri Tierala will represent Finland at the meeting.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs proposes an increase to some of the prices of services provided by Finland’s missions abroad and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The new prices would enter into force on 1 September 2023.