Mr Ivica Tončev, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs met today with Ms Pirkko Hämäläinen, Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.

The two officials discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways of further expansion of economic relations between Serbia and Finland. The State Secretary expressed special gratitude to Finland for its support to Serbia's EU integration effort.

They also addressed efficient cooperation mechanisms among Nordic countries and possibilities to apply the same or similar model to the Western Balkan countries.

Under-Secretary Hämäläinen stressed in particular Finland's readiness to offer all available expert support to Serbia on its path to full EU membership.

Mr Tončev conveyed to his Finnish counterpart Serbia's position on unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo, reiterating that Serbia remained committed to the preservation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty. At the same time, he emphasized that Serbia stood ready to be an active participant in the Brussels dialogue.

The State Secretary took this opportunity to congratulate the Finnish guests the centenary of Finland's independence as a modern State.