MFA: Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto to attend Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers' meeting

Social and economic vulnerabilities have emerged in the Eastern Partnership countries during the pandemic. In many countries, unemployment has been on the increase, the GDP has fallen and the money transfers from migrant workers have decreased. To secure social and economic recovery in these countries, it is paramount that reforms continue.  

“Finland has highlighted, in particular, the importance of political and judicial reforms because they create the basis for stability in society, good governance and sustainable economic development. At the same time, it is important to ensure that cooperation evolves with the times. It is therefore essential that, in the future, we pay more attention to climate and environmental issues also in the framework of the Eastern Partnership. This would further reinforce the role of the youth and civil society in societal transformation,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto.

The Eastern Partnership was established after the Georgian war in May 2009 to promote stability, prosperity and security in the eastern neighbourhood of the EU. The partner countries are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Inquiries: Otto Turtonen, Special Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 50 514 5811 and Counsellor Päivi Nevala, tel. +358 295 350 085, Unit for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi.