Foreign Minister Tuomioja to Azerbaijan and Armenia

Press release 221/2004
1 October, 2004


Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja will make a working visit to Azerbaijan and Armenia on 3-5 October. In Baku, he will meet with President Ilham Aliyev, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Parliament Speaker Murtuz Aleskerov on Monday, 4 October.

In Yerevan, Tuomioja will meet with President Robert Kocharyan, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and Parliament Speaker Artur Baghdasarian on Tuesday, 5 October. Tuomioja will also deliver a speech at a foreign policy institute in Armenia.

In addition to bilateral issues, the discussions will focus on the EU’s policies on Southern Caucasia and the situation in the region. The EU has paid increasing attention to the region lately and has attempted to profile its presence more prominently. Ambassador Heikki Talvitie from Finland was appointed the first EU Special Representative for Southern Caucasia in 2003. In June 2004 the EU decided to invite Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to become partners in Europe’s new neighbourhood agenda.

Southern Caucasia continues to be tormented by regional conflicts following the disbanding of the Soviet Union, such as the Nagorno-Karabah conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan with no final solution in sight after decades of warring. The economy in Azerbaijan has grown strongly during the past few years mainly due to the foreign investments in the oil industry. Armenia has demonstrated the strongest economic growth amongst the New Independent States (NIS), again due to the foreign investments. Finland’s trade with Azerbaijan and Armenia is not significant.

Further information: Ambassador for Southern Caucasia Terhi Hakala, gsm 040 358 6544, and Press Attaché to the Minister Susanna Parkkonen, gsm 040 545 1275