Foreign Ministry's press releases

Thanks to a programme supported by Finland, over 21 million Ethiopian children will receive a better education. The programme for developing the quality of general education in Ethiopia was published in Addis Ababa on 28 January, in connection with the visit of Minister for International Development Pekka Haavisto. “The goal is to ensure that each pupil has his or her own textbook and a qualified teacher for teaching,” Minister Haavisto says.

Focus on Finland, the annual publication showcasing Finland for key international markets, has just been published for the twelfth time. The magazine provides inspirational perspectives on Finnish business, culture, education and society.

Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean Fathallah Sijilmassi to visit Finland

Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb will participate in the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, on 22–23 January. In the event, Minister Stubb will participate in, for example, panel discussions. His programme will also include bilateral meetings.

Foreign Minister Tuomioja to go to Tromsø for the Artic Frontiers Conference and the opening of Finland House

Minister for International Development Pekka Haavisto was elected chairman of an international forum promoting the development of fragile states on 17 January. “This chairmanship provides an opportunity to solve problems together with fragile states. One important task is to incorporate questions of peace and stability prominently in the UN’s post-2015 development goals,

The EU Foreign Affairs Council will convene in Brussels on 20 January. Finland’s representative in the meeting will be Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. The issues on the Council agenda will include the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood, the Middle East peace process, Afghanistan, Russia, the Central African Republic, Iran and South Sudan.

Finland will give 7 million euros in humanitarian aid for the victims of the crisis in Syria. “No end to the humanitarian crisis can be seen before a sustainable political solution is found to the war in Syria. Until then, we must do everything we can to save lives in Syria and to help the refugees,” says Development Minister Pekka Haavisto.

In 2013, Finland’s missions abroad processed a total of 1,569,851 visa applications, which is an all-time record high. In 2012, the number of visas processed was 1,391,860. The amount of visa applications processed increased by 13 per cent. The number of visa applications to be processed has been growing strongly over the past six years. In 2007, 644,800 visa applications were processed.

The report of the Committee on the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol will be presented to Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja on Friday, 17 January.