Foreign Minister Tuomioja to attend the Istanbul Conference on Enhancing Peace through Mediation
Press release 36/2012
24 February 2012
Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja will travel to Istanbul at the invitation of the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoğlu to take part in the Mediation Conference organised on 24–25 February.
The Conference will gather a large number of mediation actors from the UN and its Member States, regional organisations, civil society organisations, and the academic community. The objective of the Conference is to present new mediation initiatives and actors, provide a forum for exchange of experiences, and generate new ideas to further develop mediation activities.
Foreign Minister Tuomioja will address the high-level session of the Conference on Saturday 25 February together with the Turkish and Brazilian Foreign Ministers and the President of the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly. In his speech, Tuomioja will emphasise the importance of mediation activities in conflict prevention, the promoting of a stronger culture of cooperation in mediation efforts at the different phases of crises, and women’s participation in mediation.
Finland and Turkey are engaged in close cooperation to promote mediation. The two countries founded the Friends of Mediation group in the UN in the autumn 2010, which now comprises about 30 states and eight organisations. The Friends of Mediation aims to develop and raise awareness of international mediation activities especially in the UN and among regional organisations and to promote cooperation between various actors. Finland and Turkey led the negotiations concerning a mediation resolution, which was presented to the UN and adopted unanimously at the UN General Assembly in June 2011. Representatives of the states and organisations participating in the work of the Friends of Mediation will attend the Istanbul Conference.
During his visit, Foreign Minister Tuomioja will conduct bilateral talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. In addition to bilateral questions and Turkey’s EU membership negotiations, the Ministers will discuss topical issues such as Syria and the situation in North Africa and the Middle East,
Further information: Katja Pehrman, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 40 181 9257; Satu Suikkari-Kleven, Counsellor, tel. +358 40 760 3578, Unit for UN and General Global Affairs