Current Affairs

Finland is preparing to apply for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). On 15 May, the Government submitted a report to Parliament on Finland’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and proposed that the President of the Republic decide that Finland will apply for membership in NATO after Parliament has been heard.

Portugal's minister of foreign affairs João Gomes Cravinho will visit Finland on Friday 13 May and have a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto. Follow the live webcast of the press conference at 16.10.

At the presidential session on Friday 13 May, the President of the Republic appointed a new Ambassador to the Embassy of Finland in Jakarta and a new Head of Mission to the Consulate General in Hong Kong.

Finland focuses on developing a child benefit system in the poorest provinces of Mozambique, as part of the UN Joint Programme. To support the work, a report commissioned by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on social security practices in southern Africa has been completed.

In line with the Government decision of 5 May, the restrictions on entry at Finland’s external borders will continue until 5 June 2022.

A Twinning project in Azerbaijan, led by Statistics Finland, focusing on Finnish data usage and statistical expertise, was very different from any previous Twinning projects. The project was launched remotely in June 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and it progressed despite the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the new virus variants. The closing event of the project on 11 April 2022 in Baku attracted enormous media attention.

Nepal is preparing for graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category in 2026. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs commissioned a study for an analysis of the changing relationship between Finland and Nepal, because the cooperation will expand and partnerships will diversify after the transition.

According to a recent report, Finland’s response to partner countries’ needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was prompt and flexible. The report also assesses what Finland could do better in future crises.

At the presidential session on Friday 29 April, the President of the Republic appointed three new Ambassadors.

Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde will visit Finland on Friday 29 April and have a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto. Follow the live webcast of the press conference at 12.00.

A significant part of Finland’s support to Ukraine comes from development cooperation funds. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we have both increased and adjusted the cooperation so that it better responds to the acute distress and strengthens Ukrainian society in the midst of the war,” says Senior Adviser Matti Väänänen.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will meet Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares on 27 April. Follow the live webcast of the press conference at 18.30 o'clock.

Päivi Sillanaukee, Ambassador for Health and Wellbeing at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, will attend the DMEA exhibition in Berlin together with a Team Finland business delegation on 26–27 April 2022.

International actors are focusing on life-saving measures in preparation for a conference on drought in the Horn of Africa arranged for 26 April. Half of the population of Somalia needs humanitarian support due to a drought affecting the entire country coupled with ongoing conflict.

The sad news of Minister Ilkka Kanerva’s passing reached the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on Thursday, 14 April. Kanerva served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2007 to 2008.

At the presidential session on Wednesday 13 April, the President of the Republic decided to appoint three new Ambassadors and one Non-resident Ambassador.

Ministers and senior representatives met in Lahti, Finland – the Green Capital of Europe 2021 – on 3–4 April to put climate adaptation finance at the forefront of climate discussions in 2022.

In line with the Government decision of 7 April, the restrictions on entry at Finland’s external borders will continue until 8 May 2022.

In such humanitarian crises as the one in Ukraine, many actors are involved. How is work divided, where are relief items purchased, and how can private individuals help? Moreover, are available humanitarian resources sufficient to meet the needs of those affected by crises? Riikka Mikkola, Senior Adviser for Humanitarian Assistance at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, answers these questions.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the autonomy of Åland, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will organise a seminar in The Hague on 5 April in cooperation with the Government of Åland and the Embassies of Finland and Sweden in The Hague.