Foreign Ministry's press releases

The United Nations General Assembly has passed a joint Nordic Resolution presented by Finland regarding the prevention and investigation of extra-legal executions. The Resolution calls for the protection of vulnerable groups against arbitrary and summary executions.

Ilkka Salmi, Director of the Finnish Security Police (Suojelupoliisi) has been appointed to head the EU Situation Centre, which is part of the new European External Action Service.

The President of the Republic issued a decision on 17 December to place a military contingent on a high state of readiness as part of the European Union’s battle groups in 2011.

Finland was accepted today on 16 December as a member country of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust in Haifa, Israel.

Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi had invited parliamentary group chairpersons to Kesäranta on Wednesday, 15 December, to discuss peace mediation, or peace building in a wider sense, and Finland’s possibilities to develop its expertise in the field.

The World Bank's International Development Association IDA agreed on the sixteenth replenishment (IDA16) in Brussels on 14-15 December. Even though the meeting took place at a challenging time and the impacts of the global economic crisis are evident, the international community underlined the fact that the poorest countries are the ones that suffer the most from the economic crisis and other crises including the climate change.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen has selected Bachelor of Social Sciences Katri Kulmuni (23) as his new Press Attaché.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen hopes that companies will participate in development cooperation more than at present.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen has granted 2.5 million euros to three projects supporting the rehabilitation of the education sector in Haiti.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council will meet in Brussels on 13 December. The Middle East will probably be the main item on the long agenda. Finland will be represented in the Council by Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb.