President of the Republic decides on deployment of Defence Forces unit to Kabul Airport to support Finnish relief team

On Friday 20 August, the President of the Republic decided to send a Defence Forces unit to Kabul International Airport to safeguard the evacuation operation of the Finnish relief team. The decision was preceded by deliberations on a report on the matter in the plenary session of Parliament. The report was submitted to Parliament on Thursday 19 August, and the deliberations took one day. The decision to send troops was made in accordance with the Act on the Making of Decisions Concerning the Provision of and Request for International Assistance. This is the first time the Act is being applied.

The unit is ready for deployment as soon as the decision is finalised. The unit assigned to the task has the highest level of performance in Finland thanks to its extensive training and crisis management experience. During the operation, the unit will operate under the national leadership of Finland. The troops will operate only at Kabul International Airport and in its immediate vicinity.

Inquiries:

Ministry for Foreign Affairs:

Kaija Suvanto, Director General of the Legal Service, tel. +358 40 593 6076

Ministry of Defence:

Janne Kuusela, Deputy Director General, tel. +358 295 140 206