Stubb to Brussels to meet key organisations involved in handling Georgia crisis

Press release 290/2008
17 August, 2008

The Chairman of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, is to meet on Monday 18 August and on Tuesday 19 August in Brussels representatives from key organisations involved in handling the Georgia crisis: the OSCE, the EU, NATO and the UN.

Stubb will discuss with the United States Secretary of State and with the Belgian Foreign Minister, among others, and he will participate in the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers and in the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Troika. These meetings will aim at coordinating the action of the international community in handling the conflict in Georgia.

On Monday afternoon, 18 August, Stubb will meet with Karel de Gucht, the Belgian Foreign Minister, in Brussels. Belgium is at the moment holding the UN Security Council Presidency.

On Tuesday morning, 19 August, Stubb will meet with Condoleezza Rice, the United States Secretary of State, and participate as the OSCE Chairman in the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers. On Tuesday afternoon, the OSCE Ministerial Troika Meeting will take place, and in addition to Stubb, it will gather Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos of previous Chairmanship country Spain and Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis of the 2009 Chairmanship country Greece.

On Sunday evening, 17 August, Stubb is still discussing with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

More information: Jori Arvonen, Special Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 50 553 6117, Mikko Hautala, Advisor to the Minister, tel. +358 40 834 6758, Juha Kirstilä, Press Attaché, tel. +358 40 552 8200, Janne Taalas, Deputy Head of the Finnish OSCE Chairmanship Task Force, tel. +358 40 728 4015