Asian Development Bank President visits Finland
Press release 349/2006
8 September, 2006
Haruhiko Kuroda of Japan, President of the Asian Development Bank, will visit Finland on 9–12 September. The bank was established in 1966 to promote economic and social development in the Asia-Pacific region. Finland is a founder member of the bank.
President Kuroda will have a three-day visit to Finland. On Sunday, 10th September he will be one of the main speakers at the Asia Europe Business Forum to be held in conjunction with the ASEM 6 Summit. He will have talks on Monday, 11th September with Paula Lehtomäki, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, and with representatives of the Bank of Finland, the Ministry of Finance and research institutes. President Kuroda will meet with representatives of the four Nordic countries on Tuesday, 12th September. The meeting is hosted by Marjatta Rasi, Under-Secretary of State (Development Policy) at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, who is Finland’s representative to the Asian Development Bank.
The issues to be discussed include, among others, Finland’s development policy objectives in Asia and cooperation with the Asian Development Bank, issues related to general development in Asia – such as regional integration and the roles of China and India – and the role of the bank as a financier for development in the region.
Being one of Asia’s largest development financiers, the bank plays a significant role in the region. Headquartered in Manila, the bank works in close cooperation with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and with other donors active in the region.
Before assuming the Presidency of the Asian Development Bank, Haruhiko Kuroda was Japan’s Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs as well as Japan’s G7 representative. He had previously had a long career in the Ministry of Finance and as a researcher. Kuroda is especially interested in economic and monetary cooperation and integration in Asia.
Additional information: Counsellor Leena Viljanen, Unit for Development Financing Institutions, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 6351