Foreign Ministry's press releases

Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb will participate in the Informal Meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs (so-called Gymnich meeting) to be held in Hluboká nad Vlatavou, Czech Republic, on 27—28 March.

According to Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen, the decision on spending limits made by the Goverment today ensures that Finland will clearly exceed the goal of 0.51 per cent of the gross national income (GNI) agreed in the European Union for the year 2010. The growth will continue in 2011, when the share of the GNI is predicted to rise to the level of 0.58 per cent.

“Of countries outside Europe, the United States is Finland’s most important trade partner, and the country also has a key position in efforts to promote Finnish exports. Central sectors in export promotion efforts are information and communications technology, energy and environment technology, biotechnology and the chemicals industry.”

Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Marat Tažin will arrive in Finland on Monday 23 March in connection with President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s state visit. Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb will meet Minister Tažin at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, 24 March.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination gave its Concluding Observations on the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth periodic reports of Finland on Thursday, 5 March.

The tenth joint meeting of the Finnish-Russian Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation will be organised in Moscow on 20 March. The delegation of the Commission’s Finnish party is chaired by Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen. The agenda of the joint meeting includes traffic, customs, forest industry, and energy affairs. In addition, topical questions related to, for instance, innovation-related and Neighbouring Area Cooperation will be discussed.

“The Finnish development policy programme provides a solid foundation for responding the current development policy challenges: the economic crisis, the food crisis and the climate change,” says Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Director General, Department for Development Policy, when answering the recent midway review of the Finnish development policy, conducted by Service Centre for Development Cooperation KEPA.

At their meeting on Monday, 16 March, the EU Foreign Ministers reached agreement on the most difficult item on the agenda, i.e. the position to adopt towards Belarus. The Ministers for Foreign Affairs agreed to continue the relaxation of travel restrictions imposed on leaders of Belarus by nine months, but at the same time to continue the sanctions proper by another twelve months.

The President of the Republic has today, 13 March, decided on Finland’s participation in the UN operation in Chad and on support measues for the ISAF mission to secure the arrangement of elections in Afghanistan.

“AIKI”, the entry by Architects Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Ltd, has taken first prize in the architectural competition arranged by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for the Finnish Embassy building in Tokyo. The winner was announced by Mikko Paaso, Director for Real Estates, at an event to publicise the competition results held at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on 13 March.