Current affairs

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Ivan Mrkic will visit Finland on 10 May and meet Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. The topics of discussion between the ministers include the regional questions of Western Balkans, the EU integration of Serbia, mediation, and the bilateral relations between Finland and Serbia.

Talks during the meeting of the Finnish and Serbian foreign ministers touched upon Serbia’s possible accession to the European Union. Other topical issues raised were Syria and the situation in the Middle East.

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić of Serbia will visit Finland on 12 April and will meet with Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja and Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia has in December launched an outreach project aimed at introducing high school youths in the former Yugoslavia to the work of the Tribunal. Students will also learn about international humanitarian law and post-conflict justice. The project benefits from financial support from the Finnish Government.

At their meeting on Thursday, the EU Foreign Ministers reached agreement on progress towards a more efficient Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Britain abandoned its previous opposing stand, and the Foreign Ministers were able to endorse conclusions on the CSDP. “The solution wasn’t found yesterday evening, or last night, but in the morning we reached agreement,” said Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja to Finnish correspondents in Brussels.

Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja will visit Croatia on 19 October and Serbia on 20 October.

New Ambassadors to Beograd, Lima, Nairobi, Rabat, Maputo and Berlin

On Thursday 3 March, the Government decided to propose to the President of the Republic six new appointments. The President of the Republic will appoint the Ambassadors in the presidential session on Friday 4 March.

The meeting of EU Foreign Ministers ended on a satisfactory note in Luxembourg on Monday, 25 October. A step forward in Serbia’s accession negotiations with the EU was taken on the basis of a proposal made by Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb. Foreign Minister Stubb also told his Minister colleagues the results of his successful trip to the Middle East, which took place last week.

Štefan Füle, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, visited Finland on 18 October at the invitation of Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb. “We support the work Štefan Füle is doing. In my opinion, he has one of the most difficult and important jobs of all Commissioners.” Enlargement of the European Union was also the topic of the meeting between Minister Stubb and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić of Serbia, who visited Finland on 18 October.