Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja´s visit to Afghanistan cancelled

Press release 45/2005
10 February, 2005


Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja´s visit to Afghanistan on 10 February has been cancelled due to bad weather which prevents the aircraft from landing. During his tour in Asia Tuomioja has already visited Sri Lanka and India and continues his journey today to Kazakhstan where he will meet with the leaders of the government.

The visit to Afghanistan would have been the first visit by a Finnish Foreign Minister. Tuomioja was scheduled to meet with the President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, who is the first president in the history of the county elected in a free election, Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and representatives of the European Union and the United Nations. Tuomioja would have also met Finnish peacekeeping troops in their camp. The Finnish contribution to the reconstruction of Afghanistan is ten million euros annually.

In Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Tuomioja will meet with President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Foreign Minister Kassymzhomart Tokayev. This is also the first visit by a Finnish Foreign Minister to Kazakhstan. Finland's former President Mauno Koivisto visited the country in 1992. The discussions will focus on the promotion of bilateral relations. Tuomioja will also meet with the Speaker of the lower chamber of Parliament, the Majilis, and members of political parties.

Further information: Ambassador Tarja Laitiainen, tel. 040 725 5844, on Afghanistan, Ambassador Mikko Pyhälä, tel. 040 776 3785, on Sri Lanka and India, Project Assistant Martti Antola, tel. 09 1605 5934, on the Helsinki Process, and Ambassador Marja-Liisa Kiljunen, tel. 040 5667307, on Kazakhstan