Tuomioja on the Austrian repercussions

The Austrian boycott is beginning to have repercussions in international arena outside its original scope of bilateral contacts between Austria and other EU members, which cannot be accepted, said Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja in a breakfast meeting with the media on Thursday, 13 April.

According to Mr Tuomioja, particularly the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) which is currently chaired by Austria should not be put on the line. A string of meetings, including the ministerial council in November, are scheduled to take place in Austria amid speculations of further boycotts. Finland adheres to the decisions made by the EU regarding the suspension of bilateral contacts with the Austrian government but opposes the extension of the scope of sanctions.

Finland has no specific agenda with regard to the Austrian issue, and the initiative to resolve the dispute lies with the presidency, said Mr. Tuomioja.