Foreign Ministry's press releases

The Session of the Committee of Ministers, to be held at Finlandia Hall on 17 May 2019, will mark the end of Finland’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. At the meeting, Finland will hand over the Presidency to France. More than 30 ministers from the member States of the Council of Europe will attend the meeting. The meeting will be chaired by Foreign Minister Timo Soini.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) will meet in Brussels on 13 and 14 May. Finland's representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. The Council will discuss Libya and the situation in the Sahel.

The 10th Finnish Internet Forum (FIF) will discuss topical matters related to the future of the internet, including 5G networks, open and decentralised web, and the role of the EU in the development of the internet.

As a NATO partner country, Finland will participate in the Crisis Management Exercise 2019 (CMX19) between 9 and 15 May.

The 11th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting will be held in Rovaniemi, Finland, on Tuesday 7 May 2019. The meeting will be hosted by Finland and chaired by Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Soini will have a meeting with New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters in Helsinki on 26 April.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will visit New York on 22–25 April 2019 to attend meetings of the General Assembly and the Security Council of the UN. His programme will include events that concentrate on the strengthening of multilateralism, the prevention of conflicts, and mediation, for example.

Minister Anne Berner will attend a meeting of Ministers for Nordic Cooperation in Copenhagen on 24 April.

In this year’s parliamentary elections, a total of 41,127 eligible voters used their right to vote abroad. Of these, 40,914 persons voted in Finnish missions abroad during the advance voting period, while 213 Finnish crew members cast their advance votes on board ships.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is planning and creating communication that will promote peace and reconciliation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Communication will focus on young people and the faith that young people hold in their own ability to contribute to society.