24 may 2007… According to Foreign Minister's directives to the Assistant Ministers to intensify political consultations with the different geographic groups to foster bilateral relations and coordinate stances regarding the international and regional issues of common concern, a political consultation session was held between Egypt and Finland. Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs, Ambassador Fatma El-Zahraa Etman, headed the Egyptian side, whereas the Finish side was headed by Director General for the Department for Africa and the Middle East, Ambassador Aapo Pölhö. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ambassador Alaa El-Hadidi and the Finish Ambassador to Cairo also took part in the consultations. The consultations tackled the relations between both countries and the means of expanding bilateral cooperation through commercial exchange and spreading awareness among the businessmen from both sides on the available investment opportunities. Furthermore, the consultations tackled regional cooperation particularly in the context of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership and the political dialogue with the European side within the framework of the Barcelona Process senior officials' meetings, and the regional issues of common concern, mainly activating the Arab Peace Initiative, and the European stance towards this initiative, in addition to the Egyptian efforts to halt the inter-Palestinian killing and revive the peace process. The consultations also encompassed the developments of the Lebanese crisis, the situation in Sudan and the Egyptian ideas proposed to reach a resolution to the Darfur crisis, and the ways to activate the Abuja Agreement for reconciliation, the Iranian nuclear file, and Egypt’s efforts to achieve security and stability and push forwards the reconciliation process in Iraq, in light of Egypt hosting of two ministerial meetings on Iraq in Sharm El-Sheikh in May.