Slovenia to close diplomatic mission in Finland

As part of its austerity drive, Slovenia will close its embassy in Helsinki, Finland as of Monday, local mass media reported. The moves came one month after Slovenia shut its embassies in Portugal and Sweden, and its consulate in Dusseldorf, Germany. Back in May, the country also closed its embassies in four EU countries as part of an effort to "reorganize the diplomatic network." Antonio Spilimbergo, a senior official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), recently described Slovenia's recession as "one of the worst in the eurozone." Slovenia's recession is forecast to continue until 2013. A 2.2 percent contraction of the Slovenian economy this year will be followed by an additional one percent contraction next year, Spilimbergo told reporters. The Slovenian government expects to save some 1.8 million euros (2.3 million U.S. dollars) annually by closing some embassies abroad.