FINLAND

Foreign Minister Timo Soini to Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels

By
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
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

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

By
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

By
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

 

Hobbyhorse skulls and hoodies: Finland launches urban fashion collection and online toolbox to celebrate its newest craze

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  ThisisFINLAND, Finland’s official country website, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland will tomorrow launch a limited edition urban fashion collection to celebrate the courage and against-the-odds mentality that have come to define its newest craze: hobbyhorsing.

Hobbyhorsing has been sweeping the Nordic nation in recent years, with thousands of enthusiasts making and selling horses and riding them at events inspired by real equestrian disciplines such as dressage and show jumping.

Riding hobbyhorses has even taken the form of an organised sport, with the Hobbyhorse Championships held annually in Finland. The sport is estimated to have more than 10,000 followers in Finland alone.
To support the hobbyhorsing community, and the fans’ gutsy attitude, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs worked with leading Finnish fashion labels IvanaHelsinki, Wwoollff, Tebian, Riski, Uhana Design and R-Collection to add a whole new level to the craze – by creating a limited edition urban fashion collection.

Designed under the banner of #BraveEnoughToRide, items from the limited edition collection will be made available on a pop-up webshop, www.braveenoughtoride.fi, each Friday leading up to Christmas, with the first items released on 1 December. The collection will be made available at production cost, with €1 per item sold donated to the hobbyhorsing community.

The Ministry, together with hobbyhorsing superstars Alisa Aarniomäki and Vilhelmiina Keskilä, is also launching a dedicated online toolbox, www.thehobbyhorse.fi. The site will be available in multiple languages (English, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, and Finnish) and is aimed at inspiring a new generation of hobbyhorsing enthusiasts. It will include, among other things, advice on how to build your own hobbyhorse and videos with tips about everything from jumping obstacles to performing proper dressage movements.

“Hobbyhorsing is huge in Finland,” says Petra Theman, Director of the Unit for Public Diplomacy at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. “Adults are often tempted to snicker at the phenomenon, but hobbyhorsing takes guts, and it isn’t as easy as you might think! We want to show that this sport is something really edgy and can be practiced all over the world. The toolbox came about because we want to give back to the hobbyhorse community and create a platform for people to learn about the community, the sport, and the art of hobbyhorsing.”

“A lot of hobbyhorse enthusiasts are still worried about how they’re seen, as many have faced some sort of bullying or ridicule,” says Vilhelmiina Keskilä, hobbyhorsing enthusiast. “That’s why I’m so excited about these products. They show that there’s nothing awkward or embarrassing about hobbyhorsing – quite the contrary. We should be proud of the phenomenon we’ve built.”

Viivi Huuska, the Finnish filmmaker who directed the short film that kicks off the campaign, says: “I want to show the whole world just how amazing these young people are and how unique their love for hobbyhorsing is. They have the courage to be themselves and everyone should notice that.”

Echoing her sentiments, Paola Ivana Suhonen, designer and founder of IvanaHelsinki, says: “Hobbyhorse girls are the future! These girls possess the courage and daring to do what they want and make their dreams come true. Ride on!”

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

 

The Duke of Cambridge presented with pair of hobbyhorses during his visit to Finland – tailored to Prince George and Princess Charlotte

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge, was presented with an unusual gift during his official visit to Finland. Two handmade hobbyhorses were presented to The Duke during his visit to Slush, the biggest startup event in Europe, which takes place in Helsinki annually.

Hobbyhorsing has been sweeping the Nordic nation in recent years, with thousands of enthusiasts making and selling horses and riding them at events inspired by real equestrian disciplines such as dressage and show jumping.

Riding hobbyhorses has even taken the form of an organised sport, with the Hobbyhorse Championships held annually in Finland. The sport is estimated to have more than 10,000 followers in Finland alone.
Prince George’s hobbyhorse, named after his father’s first pony, Smokey, is a dark grey pony with a long, grey mane, friendly eyes and a dark brown bridle. Princess Charlotte’s horse, called Snowflake, is a white Finnhorse with ashen markings on its muzzle and a light blond mane. Its bridle is magenta.

Both hobbyhorses are designed and handmade by Finnish hobbyhorsing superstar Alisa Aarniomäki, who achieved worldwide visibility after she was featured in the documentary Hobbyhorse Revolution.
The hobbyhorses were presented by Emma Rispoli from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

ThisisFINLAND, Finland’s official country website, will tomorrow launch a worldwide campaign to promote hobbyhorsing to a global audience. The campaign includes a limited edition, hobbyhorse-inspired urban fashion collection by leading Finnish labels, a website that promotes the art and sport of hobbyhorsing, and a short film written and directed by Finnish filmmaker Viivi Huuska.

“The Duke of Cambridge and his family are known for their love of horses, and with hobbyhorsing a huge phenomenon in Finland, what better present to take home to Prince George and Princess Charlotte than a pair of hobbyhorses tailored to their interests,” says Petra Theman, Director of the Unit for Public Diplomacy at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

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

 

Finland Welcomes the UN Technology Innovation Lab to Aalto University in Finland

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  The establishment of the first United Nations Technology Innovation Lab (UNTIL) will be launched on Thursday 30 November in a Slush side event, co-organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the Office for Information and Communication and Technologies of the United Nations. The first lab will be housed at Aalto University campus, in A Grid, the new centre for growth companies. Two more labs will be launched in 2017 in Asia and Africa, and the global network continues to grow in 2018.

The side event will debate the role of technology in advancing progress towards the UN’s 2030 Agenda. There will also be a panel discussion in which keynote speeches will be held by Kai Mykkänen, Minister of Trade and Development of Finland, and Ilona Lundström, Director General of Enterprise and Innovation Department at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

The first lab location in Finland has been selected in partnership with the Government of Finland and it focuses on the thematic areas of circular economy, education, peace and security, and health. Each of the global UNTIL labs will focus on different thematic areas that are central to the need of each individual lab’s specific geolocation. UNTIL labs create a platform for problem-solving between the UN, private sector, academia and civil society, with the help of start-ups.

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

 

Foreign Minister Soini opens Finland 100 gala concert in Berlin

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  On Monday 27 November, Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will visit Berlin, where he will hold a keynote speech at a gala concert in honour of the centenary of Finland’s independence, which will be held at the Berliner Philharmonie concert hall. Former President of Germany Horst Köhler will address the audience on behalf of the Government of Germany.

The gala concert will present the most wide-ranging mix of different types of Finnish music from classical folk music to jazz and modern music ever presented abroad. The composers of the music from different periods of time are all Finnish and the music will be performed by internationally renowned Finnish musicians living and working in Germany.

The concert and the reception afterwards are organised by the Embassy of Finland in Germany in collaboration with Finnish companies.

During his visit to Berlin, Minister Soini will also meet representatives of Finnish and German media.

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

 

Finland’s #checkout247 live broadcast to reveal glorious tedium of a supermarket checkout

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  Far from boring, this phenomenon that makes the mundane mindful is now going global. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland is launching a slow-TV phenomenon, with a 12-hour-long livestream of unedited footage of the checkout counter of a supermarket.

The live footage of #checkout247 will be aired on ThisisFINLAND’s Facebook page starting December 5th at 2 pm GMT, on the eve of Finland’s 100th Independence Day, and ending at 2 am GMT on Independence Day itself. Thousands of shoppers are expected to pop into their local 24/7 supermarket for last-minute holiday treats.

The camera will be fixed on the conveyor belt of Prisma Kaari, the biggest supermarket in Helsinki, revealing what shoppers have put in their baskets, but not showing the shoppers themselves.

Viewers will be able to take part in the Finnish shopping experience by commenting on Finland’s official Facebook and Twitter channels (www.facebook.com/thisisfinlandFB/ and www.twitter.com/thisisFINLAND) using the hashtag #checkout247.

Slow TV has experienced a major renaissance in recent years, with films showing everything from knitting to log fires on TV or online streaming services.

“There’s something spellbinding about a conveyor belt and other people’s groceries,” says Petra Theman, Director of the Unit for Public Diplomacy at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

“On the eve of Finland’s centenary, we wanted to create a moment of togetherness, a global broadcast open to participation from all over the world. At the same time we are revealing the glorious tedium of Finnish everyday life and eating habits. We claim that the everyday life in Finland is the best in the world, and that’s what we aim to show – this time through grocery shopping. This is mindfulness at its best and funniest.”

The supermarket concern S Group streamed similar footage of Finns shopping last summer. The livestream became an instant hit, with more than a million Facebook video views, including tens of thousands of comments during the live event, in a country of 5.5 million people.

This time around, viewers of the live #checkout247 broadcast will also see a rolling feed of quirky facts about Finnish food and lifestyle, provided by, among others, the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners.

“Our customers loved the first livestream last summer, so we wanted to make our second run even bigger and better and reach a global audience,” says Anne Sassi-Leivonen, Director of Publishing at S Group.

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

 

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