MFA: A new window now open to Finland´s Arctic activities

MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
http://formin.finland.fi/english

Press release 105/2017
5 June 2017

A new window now open to Finland´s Arctic activities

The ArcticFinland.fi website is now presenting Finland as an Arctic country also in English. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland have signed an agreement to develop the site maintained and updated by the Arctic Centre as an Arctic gateway for international audience.

"The Finnish Chairmanship in the Arctic Council has greatly increased demand for Arctic information about Finland abroad. With this cooperation we are responding to the growing need," says Ville Cantell, Director of the Unit for Communications on Europe and Neighbouring Areas at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The Arctic Centre has maintained the ArcticFinland website for several years, but until now the focus has been on information in Finnish.

"Now we can actively develop the English pages.  We are creating new content and building networks with international partners”, says Markku Heikkilä, Head of Science Communications at the Arctic Centre.

The site is not intended to replace the official chairmanship site or other existing sources of information, but to consolidate a rather fragmented picture of Finland as an Arctic country. On the site you can find information on Finland’s Arctic policies and on Arctic research and Arctic business in Finland. There are also news about Arctic events and activities in Finland, and longer articles with Arctic content.

The updated site was launched on Monday, June 5th. New content will be added throughout the Finnish Chairmanship. The agreement between the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Arctic Center will be in force until May 2019. "We aim at continuing our cooperation even after this period," says Heikkilä.

ArcticFinland: http://www.arcticfinland.fi/EN
Twitter: @ArcticFinlandia

For more information please contact:

Ville Cantell, Director of the Unit for Communications on Europe and Neighbouring Areas, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, +358 295 351 847, ville.cantell(at)formin.fi

Markku Heikkilä, Head of Science Communications, Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland, +358 40 4844300, markku.heikkila(at)ulapland.fi

The Foreign Ministry's email addresses are of the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi.