Statement of Minister Soini at the Press Conference with Minister Retno Marsudi of Indonesia

Statement of Foreign Minister Timo Soini at the Press Conference with Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi on 18th June 2018.

  • The fact that the Secretary General's High Level Advisory board on Mediation meets in Helsinki is a recognition for our work in promoting mediation. It is natural that Finland and Indonesia are hosting this meeting together.
     
  •  We just had a very good bilateral meeting. Our relations with Indonesia are longstanding and excellent.
     
  • Indonesia is a key player in its region and in the world, and a valued partner for Finland.
     
  • We congratulate Indonesia for her election to the UN Security Council. Finland voted for Indonesia.
     
  • Today we discussed a number of bilateral and international affairs.
     
  •  At our bi-lateral meeting we noted that we face similar challenges in the different sides of the world, in Asia and Europe. One of them is cyber-security - a field where our small country has built up significant expertise.
     
  • Another challenge we face together is defending the rules-based international order, which is a core of our security thinking.
     
  • Today we have discussed a lot about mediation which is one of my priorities as a foreign minister. Finland stresses the participation of women and youth, as well as traditional and religious leaders.
     
  • The High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation brings together a huge amount of experience. I am proud that President Tarja Halonen is a member of this group.
     
  • Successful conflict prevention saves human lives. It is also a smart investment in peace.
     
  • It is important to enhance mediation capacity of the United Nations and its member states and to support regional and national mediation efforts. It is better to prevent conflicts than to fix the damage caused by them as the Secretary-General Guterres has stated.
     
  • Inclusive approach to peace-building and mediation is essential to achieve results. Sustainable peace requires involvement of actors representing different parts of society. Finland works actively with and continues to support non-governmental actors and civil society.