Current affairs

A thriving democracy or an old oligarchy with new leaders? No one can know what will be the final outcome of the popular uprisings in the Arab countries. This was the opinion shared by the participants in the open discussion organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs at the House of the Estates on Monday, 4 April. In the event, Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and Finnish ambassadors expressed their views of the happenings in the Arab World.

The Foreign Affairs Council of the EU will meet in Brussels on 31 January. Recent political developments in Tunisia, Lebanon and Belarus as well as the EU’s measures in those areas are the main topics of discussion. Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb will represent Finland at the meeting.

Finland has granted 400,000 euros to the Beirut Regional Office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to support the work of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues in North Africa and the Middle East in 2010–2011.

Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb will travel to Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey on 4–8 May in order to meet with heads of state and his fellow foreign ministers. On the visit to Lebanon and Syria, Foreign Minister Stubb will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Urmas Paet of Estonia.

The national report on the Israeli air strike in Lebanon that claimed the life of a Finnish UN observer has been completed. The report was submitted to Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen on Friday 10 November at the Government Palace. Among those present were the Khiam expert group headed by Irma Ertman, Director General of the Legal Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.