Foreign Ministry's press releases

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, will travel on April 10th to Vienna to address the Organization's Permanent Council. The Permanent Council is the Organization's main regular decision-making body. After his presentation Minister Stubb will hold a press conference in room 201 upon leaving the meeting room.

The Council of Europe is organising a conference on education and training for Roma children and youth in Bratislava on 8–9 April. The Finnish delegation will be headed by MP Pekka Haavisto, chair of the Advisory Board on Romani Affairs.

Paavo Väyrynen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, will make an export promotion trip to Norway on 8–10 April. The minister will be accompanied by a broad delegation of more than 20 people representing businesses as well as Northern Finnish regional government and organisations, including representatives of the construction, energy, mining and environment technology sectors, the tourist industry, and research and development.

Alexander Stubb, 40, was today appointed as Foreign Minister of Finland. The new Minister, serving also as the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, pledged to push ahead with Finland’s Chairmanship priorities.

Paavo Väyrynen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, visited Nicaragua on 2–4 April. The minister’s visit focused on development cooperation issues. Väyrynen had official talks with President Daniel Ortega, Foreign Minister Santos and Vice Minister Jaentschke, who is responsible for development cooperation.  During his meeting Väyrynen stressed, in particular, the importance of the private sector to economic development in Nicaragua.

Alexander Stubb, Doctor of Philosophy, Member of European Parliament, began his duties as the new Minister for Foreign Affairs in the second Vanhanen government on 4 April. The President of the Republic appointed Mr Stubb as a Member of the Government and Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt will meet with Alexander Stubb, Finland’s newly appointed foreign minister, in Helsinki on Friday afternoon, 4 April.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen opened the Regional Energy and Environment Partnership Forum in Costa Rica on 2 April. The theme of the forum is productive utilisation of especially the wastes arising as byproducts of agriculture as a renewable energy source.

Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva has today been granted sick leave and his programme is cancelled. Nor will Minister Kanerva participate in the NATO Summit to be held on 2–3 April in Bucharest, Romania. Kanerva is not giving interviews on the matter.

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, expressed his serious concern today over a series of bomb explosions in recent days in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict.