Foreign Ministry's press releases

The UN Secretary-General appointed Laajava as the Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone (WMDFZ) facilitator in 2011. The facilitator was assigned to hold consultations about a conference dealing with the establishment of a WMDFZ in the Middle East.

How can it be ensured that all mediators team up and pursue the same goal? What kind of experiences have been acquired as a result of efforts to resolve crises in Africa in the recent past? These are examples of the questions that will be addressed in the mediation seminar organised by Finland and the African Union in Addis Ababa on 4 May.

The Nordic and Baltic Foreign Ministers will convene at an NB8 meeting in Helsingør, Denmark, from 5 to 6 May 2015. Finland's representative at the meeting will be Secretary of State Peter Stenlund.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja will participate in the Nordic Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingør, Denmark, on 5 May.

Finland has assumed responsibility for the coordination of EU consular cooperation in Nepal starting Wednesday on 29 April. About 9,000 EU citizens are still in Nepal after the country was struck by an earthquake last weekend. Somewhat over a thousand of them have not been reached yet.

The Embassy of Finland in Kathmandu has set up a temporary consular service point at the Tribhuvan International Airport. The joint Nordic consular service point offers information and advice and helps those in need of assistance as required. The service point is situated in front of the door to the departures lounge and can be identified from the flag of Finland and yellow uniforms.

In the lead-up to a major climate conference in Paris a coalition of governments is calling for the phase-out of subsidies to fossil fuels.

The Secretary of State of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Peter Stenlund, will represent Finland at the international support for Ukraine conference to be held in Kyiv on 28 April. The aim of the conference is to coordinate the international community's support to Ukraine and ensure information flow between the administration of Ukraine and providers of support.

Finland will participate in the ninth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) on 27 April–22 May 2015.

Under-Secretary of State for External Economic Relations Matti Anttonen will lead a Team Finland trade mission to the Czech Republic and Slovakia from 26 to 29 April.