Foreign Minister Soini participates in an informal meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Luxembourg

Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will participate in the informal meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Gymnich) in Luxembourg on 4–5 September. The two-day meeting will focus on the Middle East Peace Process, the EU’s Eastern neighbours and Russia, Iran and migration.

An exchange of views on the future of the Middle East Peace Process will take place on Friday. In addition, the Foreign Ministers will discuss topical matters relating to the EU’s Eastern neighbours and Russia. Discussions on the future of the Eastern Partnership will be continued in the autumn in connection with the review of the European Neighbourhood Policy

On Saturday, the Gymnich Ministers will discuss the implementation of the agreement reached in the negotiations on Iran's nuclear activity and its impacts on the bilateral relations between the EU and Iran, as well as more widely on the relations in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region. Foreign policy aspects of the current migration situation will also be on the agenda on Saturday. The EU candidate countries have been invited to attend this section of the meeting.

Gymnich is a biannual meeting hosted by the Council Presidency. The name is based on the castle in Germany where the first such informal meeting was held in 1974.

Inquiries: Sari Rautio, European Correspondent, tel. +358 40 590 9855 and Jussi Tanner, Diplomatic Adviser to the Foreign Minister, tel. +358 295 350 663.