1. The ninth Republic of Korea-Finland Policy Consultation took place in Seoul on April 17 between Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Kim Hong-kyun and Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Security Policy Jaakko Laajava of the Foreign Ministries of the two countries. In their meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the progress in their bilateral friendship and cooperation; the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in other regions of the world; and ways to work together on global issues.

2. Deputy Minister Kim took note of the steadily growing and advancing friendship and cooperation between their two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1973. In particular, he expressed satisfaction with the fact that the exchange of visits by the Prime Ministers of the two countries over the past two years brought the two countries closer than ever before.

◦ The Deputy Minister relayed the ROK government’s hope to work more closely together with not only individual countries in Europe but also major consultative mechanisms of the region. He asked the Finnish government to play a constructive role in and support the ROK’s efforts to advance its relations with the EU and step up its cooperation with the Nordic countries.

◦ Under-Secretary Laajava took note of growing exchanges and cooperation between the two countries across the board, adding that the Finnish government will play a role in the ROK bolstering its cooperation with the EU and the Nordic countries.

3. Deputy Minister Kim extended appreciation to Finland for its strong support and cooperation on the ROK government’s policy toward North Korea. With the year 2015 marking the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, the Deputy Minister commended Finland for its active contribution toward the establishment of a multilateral security regime in Europe. He went on to ask the Finnish government to pay attention to and support the ROK government’s policies of the Trust-building Process on the Korean Peninsula, the Initiative for Peaceful Unification of the Peninsula and the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative.

◦ Under-Secretary Laajava, commending the ROK government’s efforts to promote stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, mentioned Finland’s plan to continue participating in international efforts to resolve North Korean issues.

4. The two sides exchanged views on the current situations in Europe and the Middle East, agreeing to further step up cooperation on such key global challenges as international security and climate change as well as on the international stage, including the Global Health Security Initiative. 


                 Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation