Helena-Reet Ennet

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Anna Laine appointed as Press Officer in St Petersburg

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has appointed Anna Laine to serve as Press Officer at Finland’s Consulate General in St Petersburg starting on 29 January 2018. The post will be a fixed-term appointment ending on 7 January 2021.

Anna Laine will transfer to the Foreign Ministry from the Finnish Institute in Estonia, where she has been Programme Officer since 2016. Her responsibilities have included culture and projects related to Finland 100 projects.

Laine has wide experience of cultural contexts, gained also from participation in international projects. She has also worked for the press, radio and television.  She has a comprehensive network of contacts and a good knowledge of both Finnish and Russian societies. She holds a Bachelor of Culture and Arts degree from a University of Applied Sciences.

The Press Officer’s duty is to use communication, country branding and culture to advance Finland’s objectives among the key target groups in St Petersburg and North-West Russia. The main responsibilities include strengthening of Finland’s visibility and attractiveness and the development of networks and relations between Finland and Russia. Laine will be responsible for the mission’s web communications and social media and for their development.

The Press Officer’s duty is to foster media relations, participate in Team Finland activities, and work in close cooperation with Business Finland and the Finnish Institute in St Petersburg.

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Foreign Minister Soini to Strasbourg

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will visit the European Parliament and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg from 12 to 13 December.

During his visit to the European Parliament, Soini will meet President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani and Chair of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee David McAllister. The topics of discussion during the meetings will be Europe’s future, the UK leaving the EU, and topical foreign policy questions. Additionally, the visit aims to set in motion the preparations for Finland’s next Presidency of the EU to the extent that the relations with the European Parliament are concerned. The programme of the visit also includes meetings with Finnish Members of the European Parliament and with Finnish public servants working there.

At the Council of Europe, the Foreign Minister will have meetings with Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland and Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks as well as other senior representatives of the organisation. In addition, the Minister will have a meeting with Guido Raimond, President of the European Court of Human Rights. The topics of discussions will be current affairs in the Council of Europe and human rights challenges in its member States.  Finland’s upcoming Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (from 21 November 2018 to May 2019) and Finland’s goals during the Chairmanship will also be discussed.

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Free Trade Agreement negotiations between the EU and Japan completed

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  The EU and Japan finalised their negotiations on a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement on 8 December 2017. The agreement is significant both economically and politically. Together the EU and Japan account for approximately a third of the world’s GNP.

The trade agreement covers a large part of their trade in goods, related regulation and barriers to trade, as well as trade in services. The agreement’s entry into force will immediately remove tariffs on 90 per cent of exports from the EU to Japan. The agreement will make it easier for EU service providers to access Japanese markets in many areas.  Instead, a decision was made about continuing negotiations on the protection of investments separately from the Free Trade Agreement.

Barriers to trade in important Finnish exports, such as plastic and chemical industry products, will be lifted immediately after the entry into force of the agreement. Tariffs on wood products will be removed after certain transition periods. The opening of Japan’s foodstuff markets will offer new opportunities for Finnish food exporters.

According to Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen, the agreement is good news from the point of view of Finland and open world trade. “Finland has a good reputation in Japan. Free trade with Japan opens up new export opportunities and it is important that Finnish companies take advantage of the possibilities effectively,” Minister Mykkänen says.

The aim is to start the application of the agreement towards the end of next year.

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Minister Anne Berner attends a meeting on digitalisation in Oslo

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  The Nordic Council of Ministers has established a fixed-term council of ministers, MR-Digital, to coordinate cooperation on digitalisation. The Baltic states also participate in the cooperation.

Minister Anne Berner will attend the first MR-Digital meeting on 8 December 2017 in Oslo. The meeting will decide on the future priorities and discuss the use of electronic authentication (eID) and the 5th generation wireless systems (5G).

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Foreign Minister Timo Soini to Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  The EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) will meet in Brussels on 11 December. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. The topics on the agenda will include Iraq, the Middle East and the Sahel region. In addition, the foreign ministers and development ministers will hold a joint meeting to exchange views on the follow-up to the African Union – European Union (AU–EU) summit, which was held in Côte d’Ivoire.

The foreign ministers will hold a debate on Iraq and recent developments in the Middle East.  The EU’s aim is to avoid the escalation of tensions in the region. As for Iraq, discussions will be held on the EU strategy for engagement with Iraq, which will be adopted at the beginning of next year, as well as on the EU’s support for stability and security in Iraq. Finland lays particular emphasis on the importance of addressing migration matters in the cooperation between the EU and Iraq, including efficient returns.

At the joint session between the foreign ministers of the G5 Sahel (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) and the Foreign Affairs Council, views will be exchanged on the situation in the Sahel and the EU’s support for the G5 countries’ security initiative.

The development ministers and foreign ministers, for their part, will discuss the results of and further actions following the recently held AU–EU summit. The fact that Finland had a youth representative in its official delegation attracted positive attention.

The Foreign Affairs Council will adopt conclusions on Thailand and on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as on the EU’s Gender Action Plan. Additionally, the Council is expected to adopt a decision establishing the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and determining the list of the participating Member States.

High Representative Federica Mogherini has also invited Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel,  Benjamin Netanjahu, for an unofficial breakfast meeting with the foreign ministers.

Source: Finland.ee
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GALLERY! A workshop with Tel Aviv chef Yuval Ben-Neriah on Israeli dishes, organized by the Embassy of Israel in Tallinn Private School of Service (TETkool)

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Today, on 8th December, Israeli Ambassador in Finland and Estonia, Mr. Dov Segev-Steinberg, and Information Officer of the Embassy of Israel, Mrs. Elina Mielityinen arranged a workshop in Tallinn Private School of Service (TETkool) for Estonian and Finnish foodbloggers as well as journalists, during which the Israeli kitchen was introduced and 5 delicious Israeli dishes were prepared.

The training session was directed by Yuval Ben-Neriah, the Chef of an Israeli grand restaurant „Taizu”, from Tel Aviv. The hostess in TETkool (Sõle str 3, Tallinn) was Olga Teterez.

From Estonia the participants attending the workshop were Helena-Reet Ennet (NordenBladet and OHMYGOSSIP- sites representative); Estella Elisheva (NordenBladet and OHMYGOSSIPteen representative); Mari-Liis Ilover (from the blog mariliisilover.com); Pille Petersoo (Nami-Nami representative); Dagris Punder (from the blog n2ljarotid.blogspot.com.ee) and Kristian Neemela (from the blog kristiankokkab.blogspot.com.ee).

From Findland the delegation of participants including Sanna Autio (S-ryhmä representative); Minna Rautio-Pakaste (from the blog haarukkavatkain.com); Heli-Hannele Pehkonen (from the blog beachhousekitchen.fi); Marja Samuli (Aller Media representative); Galith Nadbornik (from the blog hungryinhelsinki.com) and Ofer Amir (photographer) had arrived.

The recipes (Pita bread; Shakshuka Merguez; Tabouleh Salad & Tuna Tartar; Calamari & Black eggplant cream and Soft Chicken Shawarma) will be published within a week online in NordenBladet.com environment!

See the gallery from the event!




















Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Mykkänen to attend WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen will participate in the WTO Ministerial Conference that will take place on 10–13 December 2017 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Ministerial Conference will aim to achieve common understanding on the unresolved issues of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), launched in 2001, and to clarify the next steps for the work to be done in Geneva.

The negotiations in Buenos Aires will aim to reach an outcome concerning fisheries subsidies, transparency of export restrictions on food products and a permanent solution on the storing of food products for the needs of food security (PSH). As regards the domestic subsidies on agriculture, a work programme to commence after the meeting will be aimed at instead. The negotiations will also involve domestic regulation of services, special and differential treatment of developing countries, e-commerce and investment facilitation.

From the Finnish perspective, the most noteworthy subjects for further action are e-commerce, improving the transparency of regulation and investment facilitation. Other subjects of interest to Finland include improvement of market access in various industries, but these are not on the agenda in Buenos Aires.

The persistent economic recession has fed protectionism and increased resistance to globalisation in general. The WTO has also received its share of the criticism. There are low expectations for the conference.
“Finland is one of those countries which supports a multilateral, rule-based trading system. It is simply the best alternative for a small economy like Finland, which is dependent on exports and highly integrated into the international market,” says Minister Mykkänen.

Over the last few days, the Ministerial Conference has gained negative publicity, as the Argentine authorities have banned representatives of various non-governmental organisations from entering the country, citing security reasons.

“Finland supports openness and continuous dialogue with civil society. We have worked closely with the Argentine authorities and I have discussed the matter with the Argentine Foreign Minister. We achieved good results through our advocacy work: meeting accreditation has now been awarded to Finnish NGOs. This is positive as no barriers are needed between the authorities and non-governmental organisations,” says Minister Mykkänen.

Additionally, in connection with the conference, Minister Mykkänen will participate in the unofficial dialogue on how to promote a reform of fossil fuel subsidies in the WTO. From the perspective of preventing climate change, the fossil fuel subsidies are directly in opposition to the goals of the Paris Agreement. A reform of fossil fuel subsidies supports smarter use of public funding and social justice in developing countries.
In addition to participating in the Ministerial Conference, Minister Mykkänen will attend several bilateral meetings with other WTO member states.

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Foreign Minister Timo Soini to OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  Foreign Minister Soini will take part in the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna on 7 and 8 December. The meeting will be hosted by Austria, which holds the Chairmanship of the OSCE in 2017.

The Ministerial Council will focus on European security, the situation in Ukraine and protracted conflics in Europe as well as on human rights. Finland strongly supports the work built on the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security.

Foreign Minister Soini will have bilateral meetings with, for instance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and foreign ministers of other participating States of the OSCE. In addition, on 7 December the Minister will attend a working lunch and a side event relating to the OSCE’s Structured Dialogue.

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Finland called on North Korea to stop dangerous provocations

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  Finland conveyed its grave concern about the situation in the Korean peninsula and strong condemnation of the latest ballistic missile test conducted by North Korea on 29 November.

Director General Kimmo Lähdevirta of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs delivered the message to Ambassador Kang Yong Dok in Helsinki on 6th December, 2017. The Finnish government urged the DPRK government to comply with the UN Security Council resolutions and immediately cease further provocations aggravating the situation. Finland also urged the DPRK to engage in a meaningful dialogue with its neighbours and the international community.

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Foreign Minister Soini to NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Brussels

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — The Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs will be organised at NATO Headquarters in Brussels from 5 to 6 December 2017. Finland has been invited to attend the discussion relating to the cooperation between the EU and NATO. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. In addition to the NATO member countries, Sweden and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini will participate in the discussion.

The meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs will make preparations for the NATO Summit to be held on 11 and 12 July 2018.

Finland and Sweden are among the partners that have been granted enhanced opportunities (Enhanced Opportunities Partnership, EOP) in their cooperation with NATO. The invitation to the Foreign Ministers’ meeting is part of the political dialogue on topical questions between NATO, Finland and Sweden.

On Tuesday 5 December, Foreign Minister Soini and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet at lunch, organised for the EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels.

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

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