FINNISH AND FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTERS IN TALKS WITH GEORGIAN PRESIDENT
YLE News
Aug 11, 2008
Finland
Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and his French colleague
Bernard Kouchner are in Georgia where they have held talks with
Georgian President Mihail Saakashvili on an EU peace plan to end
fighting between Georgia and Russia.
The plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of forces to
positions held before Aug. 6 plus some form of international presence,
political negotiations and respect for Georgian territorial integrity.
Later during the day on Monday, Stubb, who also holds the revolving
post of Chairman of the OSCE, the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe, and Kouchner will travel to Moscow to meet
with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
Estonian foreign ministry evacuates Finns
The Embassy of Estonia in Georgia has evacuated both Estonian and
Finnish citizens from Georgia to Armenia. According to the Estonian
Foreign Ministry, on Monday morning there were 40 Estonians and 4
Finns in the Armenian capital Yerevan awaiting transport home.
The Finnish Foreign Ministry is uncertain how many Finns still remain
in Georgia. It issued a travel advisory on Saturday warning of the
dangers of travel in the country.