Foreign Ministry's press releases

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen will make an export promotion trip to Petrozavodsk and Serdobol on 7-8 September. The Minister will travel with more than 20 representatives of businesses, provinces and municipalities.

Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt published an initiative supporting EU peace mediation activities in Stockholm on 3 September. The ministers propose that the European Union establish the European Institute of Peace, an independent body focusing on conflict resolution and peace mediation. It is the wish of Foreign Minister Stubb and Foreign Minister Bildt that the European Institute of Peace would make the EU a peace promotion pioneer.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen calls for industry and business to step up their activity to invigorate trade with the Middle East and North Africa. “The area should have a stronger presence and networks enabling long-term cooperation should be created among both local and Finnish actors.

Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb attends the Nordic and Baltic Foreign Ministers' NB8 meeting on 26-27 August in Riga, Latvia. The main discussion topic is the future of Nordic-Baltic cooperation on the basis of a report and recommendations by the group of wise men.

Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb will visit Budapest on the invitation of Foreign Minister János Martonyi on Monday, 30 August. Foreign Minister Stubb will speak at an ambassadors event of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Hungary and will have bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Martonyi. The ministerial colleagues will discuss the Finnish-Hungarian bilateral relations and topical EU issues.

The group of 21 young foreign journalists invited to Finland by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will be visiting Rovaniemi on August 24, Saariselkä on August 25 and Inari on August 26.

In his opening speech delivered at the Annual Meeting of Finnish Heads of Mission, Secretary of State Torstila focused on the finances of the Foreign Ministry and on issues pertaining to Finland’s network of diplomatic missions abroad. Both last year and this year, the finances of the Ministry have remained balanced despite fluctuations in the global environment. However, difficult years lie ahead.

At the invitation of Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs William Hague of the UK will visit Finland on Monday, 23 August.

By decision of Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen, Finland has granted an additional 3.2 million euros in aid of flood victims in Pakistan. Because the situation in Pakistan is difficult, the distribution of humanitarian aid by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to take place later in autumn was partially pushed forward for this.

The second annual World Humanitarian Day on 19 August reminds us about the challenges and risks of relief work. Humanitarian catastrophes cause immense suffering for millions of people every year. There are currently over 27 million internally displaced persons and 10 million refugees in the world.