Foreign Ministry's press releases

Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja will attend the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vilnius on 6 and 7 December. The goal of the meeting is to strengthen the OSCE as an all-round security organisation and to intensify implementation of the organisation’s commitments. The meeting will focus on strengthening the role of the OSCE in conflict resolution, in work to counter cross-border threats, and in the promotion of human rights and freedom of expression.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja. will attend the international conference on the stabilisation of Afghanistan, to be held in Bonn on Monday, 5 December. This conference marks the tenth anniversary of the first Bonn conference that laid the foundation for Afghanistan’s present government structures. At the same time, the conference continues the series of international meetings on Afghanistan, the latest of which was held in Kabul in summer 2011.

The International Conference of the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement ended in Geneva on 1 December. In the conference, Minister Pär Stenbäck was elected member of the Standing Commission of the International Red Cross.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council will convene in Brussels on 1 December. Finland’s representative in the meeting will be Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. The main topics of the meeting will be Western Balkans, Iran, the Southern neighbourhood and the Middle East Peace Process, as well as Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU, which will also be discussed over the joint dinner of Foreign and Defence Ministers on 30 November.

The information on the storming of the United Kingdom’s Embassy in Teheran is extremely worrying. All measures of this kind are absolutely and emphatically condemnable. Iran is responsible for protecting diplomatic sites and must take action immediately in this respect.

On Tuesday 29 November, the President of the Republic and the Cabinet Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the situation in Afghanistan and Finland's participation in military crisis management. At present, Finland has 195 soldiers serving in NATO's ISAF mission in Afghanistan. Finland will begin a reduction of troops by bringing home the additional 50 soldiers deployed in 2010.

“The Parliament of Finland approved the accession to the Ottawa Convention three days ago and the Government is now in the process of finalizing the decision. This means that we will deposit our instrument of accession with the UN Secretary-General in the coming weeks”, stated Heidi Hautala, Finnish Minister for International Development in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala will make a trip to Cambodia, South Korea and Nepal between 26 November and 7 December. During her trip, Hautala will attend the Meeting of the States Parties to the Anti-Personnel Landmine Ban Convention in Phnom Penh and the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan. In addition, she will visit Nepal, Finland’s long-term partner country.

The Foreign Ministry continues to implement the savings required by the Government’s proposal for the budget and spending limits by closing down Finland’s Consulate General in Canton, China and the Consulate in Las Palmas, Spain, during 2012. Las Palmas will operate as an Honorary Consulate. Finland’s representation on the west coast of the United States will be concentrated in the mission located in the Silicon Valley of California.

Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb and Minister of Economic Affairs Jyri Häkämies will make a common export promotion trip to Japan from 28 November to 1 December 2011.