Foreign Ministry's press releases

The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) will meet in Brussels on Monday 16 March. The main topics of the GAERC meeting include preparation of the European Council, the Western Balkans and Belarus. Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and Minister of Migration and European Affairs Astrid Thors will represent Finland at the meeting.

Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb will participate in the Nordic–African Foreign Ministers Meeting, to take place in Helsingør, Denmark on 11–12 March. This informal forum of dialogue has been convened since 2001, the site alternating between the Nordic countries and Africa. At the meeting, the foreign ministers of the Nordic countries and ten African countries exchange ideas on topical issues.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen ended his two-day visit to Zambia in the evening of 5 March by meeting with President Rupiah Banda. Minister Väyrynen and President Banda had a constructive and many-sided discussion on relations between the two countries and topical international questions.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has today given its decision concerning the prosecutor’s petition to issue a warrant for the arrest of the President of Sudan.

Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb will participate in the transatlantic dinner to be organised by Belgium in Brussels on Wednesday, 4 March. The invited guests include the foreign ministers of EU and NATO member states, EU High Representative Javier Solana, European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

On behalf of the Finnish Government, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen has, on 27 February, submitted an official reply for the review of industrial and intellectual property rights in accordance with the U.S. Trade Act. The reply has been delivered to the American authorities, the aim being to avoid Finland’s being placed on the Watch List.

Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb will visit Egypt, Chad and Ethiopia on 2–4 March. The purpose of the trip is to learn more about African conflict situations and the international community’s efforts to influence them.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen will visit the Republic of South Africa and Zambia during the first week of March. The minister will be in South Africa on 2–3 March. Expansion and diversification of political and trade relations between Finland and South Africa will be discussed during the visit, as Finland’s donor-type development aid will cease by the year 2010.

In its plenary session the Government has today, 26 February, discussed Finland’s participation in the crisis management operation in Chad and the Central African Republic. The UN Security Council has decided to expand its MINURCAT civilian mission by adding a military component as of 15 March. Finland is preparing to participate in the mission and plans to deploy a detachment of about 80 soldiers.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted EUR 1.5 million of assistance for the projects of Finnish NGOs in the neighbouring areas in Russia in 2009. The funding for NGOs is included in the 2009 plan for the use of neighbouring area cooperation assistance confirmed by the government on 12 February.