Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi is in Helsinki, Finland, for talks with Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen.

Finland takes over the presidency of the European Council on 1 July.

Dr Gonzi is accompanied by Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, the permanent representative in Brussels Richard Cachia Caruana, Leonard Callus from the Office of the Prime Minister and Philippa Gingell Littlejohn from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

After talks in Helsinki, the Prime Minister will leave for Vienna to attend the fourth EU-Latin America and Caribbean summit.

On Tuesday, the Prime minister took part in an activity organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat at Marlborough House in London on the occasion of the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. Dr Gonzi is currently chairman of the Commonwealth.

Dr Gonzi returns to Malta tomorrow evening.