Foreign Ministry's press releases

EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on 17 March. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will visit Finland on 14–15 March on the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen. This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Finland and the United Arab Emirates.

This is FINLAND Magazine is now available in English. Part of the 'This is FINLAND' country brand media, promoted across several channels, the Magazine targets an international readership.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has made decisions on humanitarian assistance, prioritising Ukraine, major refugee crises in Africa and the humanitarian situation in the Middle East. Funding is also granted for supporting school meals and promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities. The amount of humanitarian assistance now granted totals EUR 36.5 million, of which EUR 16 million is allocated to Ukraine.

Representatives from the United States, Canada, and Finland discussed concrete implementation of this important initiative to build Arctic and Polar icebreakers.

The 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will take place in New York between 10 and 21 March 2025. Finland will be represented at the session by a broad-based delegation headed by Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen.

On 6 March 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered a decision on cases concerning additional tax on pension income. The ECtHR unanimously held that there had been no violation of Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and Article 1 of Protocol No. 12 (general prohibition of discrimination) to the Convention. The ECtHR declared the complaint under Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) of the Convention inadmissible.

Ministers from the Nordic and Baltic countries (Nordic-Baltic Eight, NB8) will convene at a meeting of the Governors to the World Bank Group (WPG) in Stockholm on 6 March. The main topics on the agenda are the World Bank’s support to Ukraine, international development financing, job creation and clean transition. Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will represent Finland at the meeting.

Helsinki Roundtable on AI and International Security, an event to be held at Aalto University on 13 March 2025, will bring together international experts, decision-makers and business leaders to discuss the impacts of artificial intelligence on global security.

At the presidential session on 28 February, the President of the Republic appointed a non-resident Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.