Shevardnadze Seeks Easing of Tensions

The Soviet Union’s first new foreign minister in three decades began his inaugural trip abroad today by calling for a radical improvement in the tense world political climate.

Eduard A. Shevardnadze, 57, provided a written statement on arrival in Finland for the 10th anniversary of the Helsinki Accords, saying they could be a foundation for improved relations.

The smiling, silver-haired minister, wearing a gray suit and striped tie, swiftly left the airport by limousine after arriving on a special Aeroflot flight to the Finnish capital.

He told a Finnish television correspondent that it was too soon to say what might come of his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz, scheduled for Wednesday.

No Need for Haste

“We will have to see,” he said. “It is not necessary to be too hasty in these matters.” Shultz was due to arrive later today.

The correspondent, normally stationed in Moscow, was the only reporter to whom Shevardnadze spoke before leaving the airport.

The written statement distributed after Shevardnadze’s departure said the Soviet Union had a “deep commitment” to the 1975 Helsinki agreement.

Shevardnadze’s statement said the Helsinki agreement “remains a good foundation for the development of mutual understanding and cooperation in Europe, and not only in Europe. That is why we believe that this foundation should be protected and its erosion prevented.

“We are convinced that the current tense situation in the world calls for joint efforts aimed at radically improving the political climate in Europe and in international relations as a whole.”

First Foreign Appearance

It is the first official appearance by Shevardnadze outside the Soviet Union since his appointment July 2 to replace Andrei A. Gromyko, who had been foreign minister since 1958. Gromyko, 72, was named to the largely ceremonial post of Soviet president.

Both Soviet and U.S. officials say Shultz and Shevardnadze will discuss weapons control and plans for the November summit between President Reagan and Soviet Communist Party leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

Aides said Shultz also intends at the meeting to criticize Soviet treatment of dissidents, curbs on emigration and the limited flow of information.

Keystone of Detente

The Soviets have hailed the Helsinki Accords as the keystone of detente in Europe, but the United States claims the Soviets have failed to live up to the human rights agreements included in the document.

In the 1975 agreement, the Soviets nailed down the post World War II borders in Eastern Europe that expanded Moscow’s military and political influence.

In exchange, the United States and its allies won concessions assuring a freer flow of people and ideas across the East-West divide.

In a speech to the foreign ministers from 34 nations this week, Shultz is expected to declare that the United States does not consider the East-West borders frozen forever.

The celebrations open Tuesday and organizers stressed the event was to be solely a diplomatic jubilee and not a working meeting expected to produce results.