Foreign Minister Tuomioja to meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Turkey

A meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers will be held on 13-14 May in Antalya, Turkey. In connection with it, a meeting on the Resolute Support (RS) mission in Afghanistan will be held on 13 May with participants from partner countries involved in the operation.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja will represent Finland at the meeting. In addition to Afghanistan and the more than 40 countries contributing to the RS mission, representatives of Japan, the Republic of Korea and the UN, together with the EU's High Representative, have been invited to the meeting.

The RS ministerial meeting will focus on the security situation in Afghanistan, the completion of the Resolute Support mission by the end of 2016 and support to Afghanistan after the RS mission, including preparations for the Enduring Partnership framework supporting the Afghan security and defence capacity and financial sustainment of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces after 2017.

On 13 May, Finland will also be represented at the working lunch focusing on the security situation of the Middle East and Northern Africa. It is the first meeting at foreign minister level between NATO and the Enhanced Opportunities (EO) partner countries. In accordance with a partnership initiative launched in NATO's Wales Summit last year, partners in the Enhanced Opportunities programme are Finland, Sweden, Australia, Georgia and Jordan. Discussions during lunch will focus on fighting the threat of ISIL and perspectives of the EO partnership.

Foreign Minister Tuomioja will also meet his Turkish counterpart. In these bilateral discussions, they will handle, among other things, the Friends of Mediation initiative of the two countries, topical NATO and EU issues and the countries’ bilateral relations.

NATO Foreign Ministers will convene on 14 May in a meeting for NATO members only.

Additional information: Tarja Kangaskorte, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 40 181 9257 and Mikko Kinnunen, Director, Unit for Security Policy and Crisis Management, tel. +358 295 351 820.