Minister Lehtomäki´s visit to Nepal is cancelled

Press release 40/2005
3 February, 2005


The visit of Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paula Lehtomäki to Nepal, scheduled for 8-11 February, is cancelled due to the changed political situation. King Gyanendra sacked the government on Tuesday and declared a state of emergency. The telephone service is suspended for the time being and some of the civil rights defined in the constitution of Nepal have been revoked.

Nepal is one of Finland's eight long-term development cooperation partners. Minister Lehtomäki was scheduled to have bilateral discussions with the leadership of Nepal on the political crisis, the decade-long Maoist insurgency, and the development partnership between Nepal and Finland. Minister Lehtomäki emphasises the fact that despite the internal crisis Finnish development aid will not be discontinued. In the light of the political situation Finland, in cooperation with the international donor community, will reassess the methods of development cooperation in Nepal.

Minister Lehtomäki is currently on an export promotion tour in India. She will return to Finland on 9 February.

Further information: Anna Tonttila, Press Attaché to the Minister, tel. 09 160 55 356, 040 5131 669