Foreign Ministry's press releases

The Government of Finland works for human rights and human dignity as well as fights against all forms of violence, discrimination and racism. We condemn violence against religious communities. Freedom of religion is universal, emphasized Foreign Minister Timo Soini in his address at the main event commemorating the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January 2016.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will visit Washington DC on 1–4 February to discuss international security matters, such as Syria, Afghanistan and terrorism. Other topics of discussion will be the security situation in Europe, the Ukraine crisis, the refugee crisis and Arctic cooperation.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will visit Tromsø in North Norway on 25 January. In Tromsø, he will attend the Arctic Frontiers Conference and deliver a speech entitled

In 2015 the demand for consular services once again broke the previous year’s record. In all, more than 55,000 cases involving consular assistance were recorded. Most often embassies are asked to assist in situations involving lost passports or when there are other problems with travel documents.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Finnish Police will have a joint stand at the Travel Fair 2016 organised at the Expo and Convention Centre in Helsinki on 21–24 January 2016.

Ambassador Katja Pehrman, Permanent Representative of Finland to the OSCE, will chair the Human Dimension Committee (HDC) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2016. Pehrman will assume the position at the request of the German Chairmanship of the OSCE.

From now on, This is FINLAND is the new name of the annual English-language publication which, since 2003, carried the name Focus on Finland. Published in the collaborative spirit of Team Finland by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, Sitra, Invest in Finland/Finpro and Finnfacts, the magazine will now become a more integral part of Finland’s country-branding efforts on the internet and in social media.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Lenita Toivakka will travel to Denmark on 18–20 January, accompanied by a business delegation. The aim of the Team Finland visit is to promote Finnish companies' and civil society organizations' participation in UN organizations' procurements.

The EU Foreign Ministers will convene at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 18 January. Finland's representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. The agenda highlights will be Iraq, Ukraine and Syria.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Finnish Police will have a joint stand at the Travel Fair 2016, organised at the Expo and Convention Centre in Helsinki on 21–24 January 2016.