Foreign Ministry's press releases

Minister for Foreign Affairs Soini will meet Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić in Helsinki on 26 February.

Foreign Minister Soini and Secretary General Jagland will discuss topical issues in the Council of Europe, such as Russia's right to vote and non-payment of its budget contributions.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini has been awarded an Estonian State decoration to be conferred to him on Friday 22 February. While in Tallinn, Minister Soini will also meet the President and the Foreign Minister of Estonia.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tanzania Augustine Mahiga will visit Finland on Monday 25 February and have a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. The aim of the visit is to promote the relations between the two countries and to discuss topical bilateral and international questions.

Permanent Secretary Ilkka Salmi and Finland's Roving Ambassador to Iraq Päivi Laine visited Iraq from 17 to 19 February. They had meetings with senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Displacement and Migration, and Ministry of Justice of Iraq.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice in cooperation with the Council of Europe are organising a high-level expert conference on the impacts of artificial intelligence on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The conference will be held in Helsinki on 26-27 February 2019.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Soini will visit Rome and Vatican City from 19 to 21 February and have a meeting with his Italian counterpart. This year marks the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Finland and Italy.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) will meet in Brussels on 18 February. Finland's representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. The topics on the meeting agenda include Ukraine, Syria and the Horn of Africa. At lunch, foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Venezuela. Minister Soini will also attend an EU-Ukraine breakfast meeting, hosted by Denmark and Ukraine. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin will be present, too.

On 14 February 2019, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) gave its judgment in a case concerning Finland. The Court held that there had been no violation of Article 6 (right to a fair hearing) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen will make a Team Finland visit to Mexico on 14–15 February. The Minister will be accompanied by a Team Finland delegation.