Foreign Ministry's press releases

Finland has allocated EUR 500,000 in humanitarian aid to help the victims of the Ukraine conflict. The support will be channelled to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFRC) via the Finnish Red Cross.

Minister of European Affairs and Foreign Trade Lenita Toivakka will lead a three-day Team Finland trade mission to Norway from 2 to 4 March 2015. The purpose of the trip is to promote Finnish companies' export and internationalisation and to market Finnish expertise and potential in Norway, especially in the field of marine and construction industries. Norway's importance for Finnish export is growing all the time and the country plays a significant role also in investments in Finland.

Finland should support the work of human rights defenders in its foreign policy and through its network of missions abroad more actively than today. This is the view of the Advisory Board on International Human Rights Affairs, which consists of representatives of Finnish parliamentary parties and human rights organisations.

Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Lenita Toivakka will visit Brussels on Tuesday 24 February to meet with Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and to participate in a panel discussion on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the USA, to be held at Finland's Permanent Representation to the EU.

The Finnish Internet Forum (FIF), a topical event on Internet-related issues, will be held at the auditorium of the Finnish Parliament Annex on Wednesday, February 25 from 9.00 to 14.00.

The Turkish Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkir will visit Helsinki on 25–26 February at the invitation of Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja.

The High-level Independent Panel on UN Peace Operations led by former President José Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste will visit Helsinki on 23–24 February. The UN Group of Friends of Mediation and international experts will also participate in the workshop on conflict prevention and mediation. During his visit President Ramos-Horta will meet President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö, Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja and President Martti Ahtisaari.

Speaking at the seminar “Cross-border barriers as barriers for economic growth” organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Central Chamber of Commerce on 18 February 2015, Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Lenita Toivakka, the minister responsible for Nordic cooperation, called for joint advocacy work by the Nordic countries in the EU.

During his trip Secretary Meade will meet, among others, President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö, Speaker of Parliament Eero Heinäluoma, Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja and Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Lenita Toivakka.

Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja will meet with Foreign Minister Nassirou Bako-Arifari of Benin in Helsinki on Friday, 20 February. The topics for discussion by the Ministers at their bilateral meeting are, among others, relations between Finland and Benin, including trade relations, and the regional integration of Western Africa as well as regional crises and development challenges.