Minister Toivakka to meet the WTO Director General in Geneva

Press Release 201/2014
23 September 2014

Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Lenita Toivakka will meet with RobertoAzevêdo, Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva on 24 September. The situation regarding the Doha Round negotiations to liberalize trade following the Ministerial Conference in Bali will be discussed at the meeting.

“Finland and the EU are committed to the WTO and its objectives. Despite the difficulties, there is a widespread wish to implement the decisions of the Ministerial Conference. To a trading nation such as Finland, the liberalization of world trade is an important goal, which would promote the much needed economic growth,” Toivakka states.

In Geneva, Toivakka will also meet leaders of the International Trade Center (ITC) and the Enhanced Integrated Framework Network (EIF), both of which Finland supports. The aim of Finnish support is to assist the poorest developing countries so that they would be included more strongly in the scope of international trade. In addition, Toivakka will meet Francis Gurry, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Finland currently chairs the WIPO General Assembly.

Additional information: Director General Markku Keinänen, Department for External Economic Relations, tel. +358 295 351 460, Chief of Cabinet Marja Koskela, tel. +358 295 350 633, and Miika Tomi, Press Attaché to the Minister, mobile tel. +358 50 574 0507