Search

4.4.2026 | The Finnish authorities repatriated a Finnish minor from Iraq to Finland on Friday 3 April.

15.2.2026 | Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen is currently visiting Iraq, where she will meet the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Minister of the Interior Abdul Amir al-Shammari and other leaders of the country’s government. The purpose of the meetings is to strengthen the bilateral relations between Finland and Iraq in the internal security sector and to promote cooperation in questions concerning returns.

25.6.2026 | In its plenary session on 25 June, the Finnish Government appointed several persons to new positions at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki.

15.10.2024 | Finland to end its crisis management participation in Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq during OIR transition Ministry of Defence Publication date 15.10.2024 10.30 Type: Press release Finland will end its crisis management participation at Operat...

25.8.2023 | The peace projects launched by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Iraq and Somalia have brought together people, and especially young people, who share an interest in the challenges facing the country and society, and in peace building. Millions of viewers have been reached through social media and television over the four years of projects.

4.10.2023 | Minister of Justice Leena Meri and Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen have discussed the case of a man sentenced to death in Iraq who has since resided in Finland. The case has been covered recently by the media.

3.12.2025 | Brigadier General Matti Honko, an officer of the Finnish Defence Forces, will serve on special assignment as adviser to the commander of the 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army as of 1 December 2025.

23.6.2025 | In their meeting on Monday 23 June, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the current situation in the Middle East.

22.3.2021 | On 18 March 2021, Finnish Ambassador to Iraq Vesa Häkkinen opened an Honorary Consulate of Finland in Mosul together with Najm Al-Jubouri, Governor of the Nineveh Governorate. The Honorary Consulate of Finland is the first foreign honorary consulate in Mosul.

23.5.2025 | At the presidential session on 23 May, the President of the Republic appointed the following persons to serve as heads of missions: Petri Puhakka, Kathmandu; Kirsikka Lehto-Asikainen, Paris; Eija Rotinen, Bogota; Antti Putkonen, Baghdad; Ville Cantell, Reykjavik; Lasse Keisalo, Lima; Katja Ahlfors, Dakar; Teemu Turunen, London; and Stefan Lindström, Houston. In addition, the President of the Repub...

18.6.2021 | EU Foreign Ministers will convene in Luxembourg on Monday 21 June. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto. The main topics on the agenda are Belarus, Iraq and Latin America. The Foreign Ministers will also exchange views with Minister Fuad Hussein, the Foreign Minister of Iraq, and the Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The curr...

9.4.2021 | At the presidential session on Friday 9 April, the President of the Republic appointed a new Ambassador to Iraq, granted an authorisation to represent Finland in the OSCE and appointed a non-resident Ambassador to the Vatican.

14.1.2021 | European Court of Human Rights gives ruling concerning Finland in two cases of the return of asylum seekers to Iraq Ministry for Foreign Affairs Publication date 14.1.2021 12.28 Type: Press release The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has to...

9.7.2020 | Foreign Ministry continues to promote youths’ peace work in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting the Salam project Ministry for Foreign Affairs Publication date 9.7.2020 13.00 Type: Press release The Foreign Ministry’s Salam project, which promotes ...

13.7.2021 | On 13 July 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued a decision, which annuls the Court’s previous judgment concerning Finland in the case of N.A. v. Finland relating to the return of an asylum-seeker to Iraq in its entirety.

30.4.2021 | On Friday 30 April, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed Finland’s participation in NATO mission in Iraq (NMI).

19.12.2022 | Young people in Iraq are worried about the climate crisis, armed conflicts, unemployment, migration, discrimination and social exclusion, and deficiencies in the education and healthcare systems. They discussed social problems and solutions to them in a workshop on peace building and media skills organised in Erbil.

20.12.2023 | The High Representative of the European Union, Josep Borrell, has appointed Kirsi Henriksson as Deputy Managing Director of the European External Action Service's Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC).

5.4.2024 | Finland will have a prominent role in the programme session on water disputes and mediation in World Water Week in Stockholm on 25–29 August. Finland is for the first time a key collaborating partner of the event. World Water Week’s programme offers meeting opportunities for both water experts and members of the public interested in the root causes of and solutions to water disputes. Several sessions can also be followed remotely.

9.2.2024 | In the second round of the presidential election, a total of 62,294 people cast their vote in advance at Finland’s missions abroad. Altogether 220 crew members voted on board Finnish vessels.