Press releases

EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on 11 December. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will make his first visit to Stockholm, Sweden on 11 December.

Finland is currently preparing for its chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2025. As part of the preparations, Finland will reinstate the OSCE delegation, which operates in conjunction with the Embassy of Finland in Vienna, as Permanent Representation as of 1 January 2024.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In honour of the anniversary, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will organise, in cooperation with several partners, a national celebration ‘UN Declaration on Human Rights: 75 years of support to everyday human rights actions’ at Helsinki Music Centre on 8 December.

Matilda af Hällström will serve as Special Adviser to Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen from 4 December 2023 to 12 January 2024. She will deputise for Special Adviser Elisa Tarkiainen, who is on leave of absence.

Inflation, disruptions of raw material supply, extreme weather events and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine aggravate the food security situation in East Africa. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland will invest in the ARCAFIM programme to boost the agricultural productivity in the region and improve food security. The programme will also create new jobs and improve the living conditions of up to 1.5 million people. Private sector financing will account for half of the programme’s funding.

Finland and Italy will put forward joint initiatives to promote a consistent approach on the external dimension of migration policies and countering migration-related malign influence.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Business Finland will co-host a side event to the Finnish start-up and technology event Slush to offer companies interested in the possibilities of development financing the chance to meet with venture capital investors and UN agencies. One of the development finance institutions present is the ADB Ventures fund of the Asian Development Bank. The Foreign Ministry will announce its investment of EUR 20 million in the fund.

Effective implementation of sanctions requires an understanding of sanctions and their application. In order to expand Finns’ knowledge of sanctions, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has published an online course on sanctions open to all. The course covers not only the basic aspects of sanctions that are repeated across all sanctions systems, but also the special features of the sanctions against Russia.

The Finnish Government submitted a proposal on Finland’s accession to NATO SOFA and the Paris Protocol to Parliament on 30 November. In addition to the acts bringing into force the treaties, the proposal contains amendments to nine related acts. The Government’s assessment is that acceptance by Parliament will require a two-thirds majority decision.

Over the past decade, Finland has improved its ranking in the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index study from 18th to 15th place. The study of people’s images of 60 countries shows that Finland is on the rise, especially as a country to live in or visit.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will visit Dubai in the United Arab Emirates 2–4 December. Minister Tavio will attend events organised as part of the UN Climate Change Conference and meet ministers from other countries and representatives of businesses and international organisations.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), held in Skopje, North Macedonia, on 29–30 November. North Macedonia holds the OSCE Chairmanship in 2023.

The parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change will convene for the COP28 Climate Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 30 November–12 December. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will represent Finland at the high-level segment of the Conference on 1–2 December. During the ministerial week between 8 and 12 December, Finland’s delegation will be led by Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend a meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels on 28–29 November.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in its trade configuration in Brussels on 27 November 2023. The trade ministers will discuss the preparations for the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, the EU’s trade agreement with Chile and the EU–US trade relations. The ministers will also discuss the EU’s ongoing bilateral trade negotiations.

Finland’s Ambassador to Moscow Antti Helanterä visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation at his own request on 24 November to inform on the Finnish Government's decision of 22 November 2023 to temporarily close the border crossing points of Kuusamo, Salla and Vartius.

Finland will grant EUR 3 million in additional support to improve food security in Ukraine. The funding will be used to support Ukrainian exports of grain to countries where food security is adversely affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Some of the funds will be used to help clear mines in rural Ukraine to restart agricultural production.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will travel to New Delhi, India, with a Finnish business delegation on 22–23 November. During his visit, Minister Tavio will meet with Indian ministers and business representatives and attend the India Nordic-Baltic Business Conclave.

The United Nation’s independent Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education Farida Shaheed will visit Finland on 20–29 November. This is the first country visit to the Nordic countries under the mandate of the Special Rapporteur established in 1998. The aim of the visit is to assess how educational rights are observed in Finland.

Director-General Fernando Arias of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is visiting Finland from 15 to 16 November at the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen.

The Legal Service of Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs has completed a legal analysis of the special status of Åland under international law and of legal questions associated with Åland. The analysis is now available in Finnish and Swedish on the Foreign Ministry’s website.

EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on 13 November. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

On 9 November 2023, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered a judgment on a case concerning the right to a fair hearing. The Court ruled that there had been no violation of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to a fair hearing).

Finland will award a discretionary government grant amounting to EUR 1 million to support the work of the Israeli Red Cross Society, Magen David Adom, in the aftermath of the Hamas attack in October. In addition, Finland will allocate EUR 4 million in support of the humanitarian efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the occupied Palestinian territory (the Gaza Strip and the West Bank) and in Israel.

While continuing to suffer from the consequences of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine is busy preparing for reconstruction. Around forty Finnish companies, led by Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio, will participate in Rebuild Ukraine, the exhibition and conference to be held in Warsaw on 14–15 November 2023.

Finland will hold its presidential elections on Sunday 28 January 2024. Advance voting will be possible abroad from 17 to 20 January 2024. The election day for a possible second election (second round) will be 11 February 2024, and advance voting abroad will be possible from 31 January to 3 February 2024.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Berlin on 9 November 2023 to meet with Germany’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock and to attend the NATO Annual Cyber Defence Conference.

Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström and Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will visit Helsinki on 8 November to meet Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Berlin on 2 November 2023 to attend a high-level meeting on EU enlargement and to discuss ways to develop energy cooperation.

Latest round of negotiations for a new Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Finland and the United States were held in Helsinki from 30 to 31 October.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Oslo on 1 November and attend the 75th Session of the Nordic Council. Minister Valtonen will attend a hearing of foreign ministers at the Plenary of the Nordic Council and a meeting of Nordic foreign ministers in N5 format.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Kirsi Madi as Assistant Secretary-General, responsible for leading the Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships of UN Women.

Finland’s Minister for Nordic Cooperation Anna-Maja Henriksson will attend the 75th Session of the Nordic Council in Oslo from 30 October to 2 November.

In 2024–2026, the higher education cooperation of Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs will prioritise teacher education, climate change and the circular economy, and food security. The Foreign Ministry grants just over EUR 6 million to the seven projects approved for the partnership programme.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will host North Macedonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani in Finland on 27 October.

Border States met in Vilnius to discuss EU sanctions circumvention, especially trade routes and patters, and agreed on concrete common measures to further strengthen implementation of sanctions and prevention of sanctions circumvention.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend a Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 24–26 October.

The EU foreign ministers will convene in Luxembourg on 23 October. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting. After the Council meeting, the EU foreign ministers will meet with the foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend an informal meeting of EU trade ministers in Valencia, Spain, on 19–20 October. The ministers will discuss economic security and trade relations between the EU and India. The ministers will also discuss the EU’s ongoing bilateral trade negotiations.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend the School Meals Coalition Global Summit in Paris on Wednesday 18 October. Finland and France are co-chairs of the School Meals Coalition, and Minister Tavio is the Global Champion for School Meals. The French President Emmanuel Macron will open the summit.

State Secretary Lauri Tierala will represent Finland at the Nordic–African Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (NAFM) in Algeria on 16–18 October.

A recent survey commissioned by the Embassy of Finland in Moscow reveals that more than one in three Russians feel positive about Finland, compared to one in two a year ago. Researchers ascribe the decline in Finland’s reputation among Russians mainly to the negative media coverage of Finland’s membership in NATO. Young people hold the most positive attitudes towards Finland.

On 12 October 2023, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued a decision on a case concerning continuation of detention on remand. The Court declared inadmissible the application alleging a violation of Article 5 (right to liberty and security of person) of the European Convention on Human Rights (Convention).

A draft government proposal, prepared by a working group led by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, was sent out for comments on 12 October 2023.

Finland unequivocally condemns the assault against Israel by the terrorist organisation Hamas. Following the escalation of the situation, Finland will review its Country Programme for development cooperation in Palestine. In this way, Finland can verify that its support is targeted correctly. The report will be submitted to Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen has postponed her visit to Washington D.C., the United States, scheduled for 12 October.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers on 10 October to discuss the situation in Israel and in the region.

Finland’s support to Ukraine, channelled through the World Bank Group, will be used to strengthen basic public services, repair critical infrastructure, promote policy reforms and lay the foundation for Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery. Part of the support will be used to help the least-developed countries affected by the Russian invasion and by other global crises.

Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs has prepared a proposal to enact a new act on the European Union Emergency Travel Document (EU ETD) and to amend the Consular Services Act and the Passport Act. The Government submitted the proposal to Parliament on 9 October. The acts are scheduled to enter into force on 8 December 2025.