Foreign Ministry's press releases

Anthony Lake, who assumed the post of Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in May 2010, is making a working visit to Finland on 9–11 November.

On 7 November, Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb will travel to Geneva, where he will meet Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Pascal Lamy and Foreign Minister of Switzerland Micheline Calmy-Rey, who is also acting as the President of the Swiss Confederation this year.

Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja will visit London on 7-8 November.

Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Grigol Vashadze will visit Finland on 3-4 November and have discussions with Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb and Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has received the statement it requested from the Ministry of Transport and Communications enabling the release of information in response to the Amnesty International query about specific flights in 2001–2006. The ministries take the view that on grounds of international law and human rights obligations and thereby from the point of view our national fundamental rights system, there are good reasons to release the flight information concerned.

The Nordic foreign ministers, who gathered in Copenhagen, discussed the situation in North Africa and Palestine. In 2011 Finland has held the chairmanship of the Nordic foreign and security policy cooperation. The meeting in Copenhagen was this season’s last foreign ministers’ meeting. Acting in the capacity of chairman, Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja submitted the foreign policy report to the Nordic Council on behalf of all the Nordic countries.

By a decision made by Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will target EUR 400,000 of emergency aid to those suffering from the consequences of the heavy rains in Central America.

Deputy Prime Minister of Macedonia Teuta Arifi will visit Finland

Cabinet Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed Nordic cooperation

At the request of Amnesty International Finland, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has investigated information presented in the media that suspicious flights would have gone by way of Finland in 2001–2006. The investigation, carried out in cooperation with other relevant authorities and Finavia Corporation, studied a comprehensive group of aircraft that had been mentioned in connection with such flights. No indications of illicit activities were found.