Summary:
An international conference on Syria was held in Brussels. Minister of Foreign Affairs Timo Soini represented Finland at the conference. In a press release, Minister Soini said that the war is not only a great humanitarian crisis, but an enormous crisis of regional development. In Syria, 13 million people are need of protection and humanitarian aid, and over half of them are children or youngsters. Finland has committed 25 million EUR in aid for 2018, of which 12.6 million will be directed to humanitarian aid. This is less than the 35 million in 2017 and the 34 million in 2016.

Summary:
Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö spoke with US President Donald Trump on Monday. The discussion focused on international politics and the Arctic region on particular. President Niinistö expressed his wish that President Trump’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel would be successful. President Trump congratulated President Niinistö on his re-election.

Mika Aaltola, program director at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, says that these calls are rare and it is a sign of a good relationship between Finland and the United States. Aaltola believes that the discussion probably included Finland’s initiatives regarding black coal, and the Arctic Council’s meeting schedule. The call may have also included matters related to the Ukraine, the Middle East and North Korea. Finland has been mentioned as a possible location for a meeting between Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Summary:
Nobel laureate Martti Ahtisaari wrote about his concern over the world order in Uusi Suomi’s partner blog. He evaluated that there seems to be no real will to solve the world’s small and big conflicts.

Former President Ahtisaari expressed concern over the major powers that keep raising the stakes and the current world situation which resembles the tension during the cold war. He listed other concerns, too, including military trainings, belittling or breaching international agreements, trade war and weakening of democracy at the core of Europe.

Summary:
Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini has commented on the election victory of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party in Hungary.

Minister Soini does not believe that the relations between Hungary and the European Union will significantly change from now on, though Mr Orbán’s immigration views are opposite to those of the EU. PM Orbán has for example rejected the EU’s refugee quotas and praised the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Minister Soini finds that the election result will make Brussels more tense but points out that this is democracy. Nobody has claimed that the elections were not honest, he points out.

Summary:
Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö has discussed the European Union and security with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović. Mr Niinistö said that a stronger EU is needed – the EU should have a place in the table with the big countries.

Both Presidents underlined the possibility offered by Finland and Croatia’s consecutive EU presidencies for cooperation between the countries. With this cooperation, Finland and Croatia can act towards peace and European unity, President Niinistö noted and emphasised that small countries have a chance to make bigger countries to understand their global responsibility.

Summary:
President Sauli Niinistö and Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini have given statements on the latest events in Syria.

President Niinistö said in a statement that the events in Syria threaten to jeopardise international peace. According to President Niinistö, it is important that the parties of the war quickly and thoroughly investigate the weekend’s events. Finding a solution through negotiations is the only way to calm down the situation for good.

President Niinistö stated that Finland condemns the use of chemical weapons in all situations.

Minister Soini is in the understanding that the Syrian government was responsible for the gas attack in Eastern Ghouta.

Summary:
A majority of EU countries is going to participate in the proposal by the French President Emmanuel Macron to consult EU citizens on the future of the Union. Only Hungary and the UK are not participating.

The consultation sounds organised, but at least in Finland there is no clear picture of how the discussions are to be utilised. In Finland, Ministers have promised to hold open discussion events.

The European Parliament’s Information Office in Finland will also arrange events. The idea of a web survey has not been very popular in Finland. The Government has proposed that instead, there could be a few extra questions on the Union’s future in the eurobarometer survey.

Summary:
According to Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö, the poisoning attempt of the Russian agent, Sergei Skripal, in the UK is a very severe blow to international security. He finds that Russia should contribute to the investigation of the crime.

President Niinistö said that both alternatives proposed to the events, the fact that Russia has been an active player in the events, and that the dangerous substances are not under its control, are both very worrying.

According to the President, Finland is ready to give all its support and help to the UK.