​(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Thursday, 2 June 2016), met with Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini. At the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister detailed Israel's reasons for opposing the French initiative; he said that the conference would allow the Palestinians to evade direct negotiations.

Finnish Foreign Minister Soini emphasized that Finland opposed boycotts against Israel and expressed complete opposition to BDS activity.

The two men also discussed opportunities for enhancing bilateral relations on a range of issues.