Minister Väyrynen to Mozambique and Namibia
Press release 384/2008
10 October, 2008
Paavo Väyrynen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, will travel to Mozambique and Namibia on 14–17 October. The visit to Mozambique will take place on 14–16 October and the visit to Namibia on 16–17 October. The trip focuses on development cooperation, but another objective is to promote Finland’s trade relations with the two countries.
Mozambique is one of Finland’s eight long-term development cooperation partner countries. Development cooperation between the Governments of Finland and Mozambique comes to about 24.5 million euros in 2008. Finland and Mozambique carry out cooperation in the sectors of education, health and rural development. During his visit, Väyrynen is scheduled to meet, among others, with the Mozambican foreign minister, the minister of development and planning, the minister of science and technology, and the minister of agriculture. Cooperation in the fields of forestry and information society will also be investigated during the meetings. In addition, the minister will make a field trip to Zambezia Province, where he will learn about the Finnish financed rural development project and cultivation of rice, and will meet leaders of the province.
In Namibia, the purpose of the visit is to strengthen the already close ties between Finland and Namibia now that project-type development cooperation between the two countries is ending. Effort will be made to develop and diversify relations by means of new partnerships, new development cooperation instruments and new forms of cooperation. Possibilities for cooperation in the mining and energy sectors will also be explored during the visit. The meeting between Minister Väyrynen and Prime Minister Nahas Angula will be attended by seven other Namibian ministers, among them the foreign minister, the minister of trade and industry, and the minister responsible for housing and rural development. Väyrynen will also visit a hospital that has received support from Finnish development cooperation funds.
Additional information: Päivi Nevala, Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, mobile tel. +358 40 753 4375, Riikka Manner, Press Attaché to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, mobile tel. +358 400 739 824, Jorma Suvanto, Head of Unit, mobile tel. +358 40 354 5675