The staff posted to Embassy of Finland, Damascus, has left Syria due to weakened security situation in the country

Press release 62/2012
19 March 2012

The staff posted to Embassy of Finland, Damascus, has left Syria until further notice due to weakened security situation in the country. The duties covering the Embassy’s area of responsibility (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq) will be temporarily managed from Helsinki. In addition, a Finnish diplomat has been transferred to both Amman, Jordan, and Beirut, Lebanon, on a temporary basis for the purpose of political reporting.

For the time being, the services related to entry to Finland of the Embassy of Damascus have been transferred to the Embassy of Ankara. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs travel bulletin urges people to avoid any travel in Syria. Any Finnish citizens still in Syria are advised to leave the country.

Further information: Under-Secretary of State Peter Stenlund, tel. +358 40 168 3575, and Helena Tuuri, Head of the Unit for the Middle East and North Africa, tel. +358 40 553 3494