Ambassador Alexander Vershbow presented with the decoration of the Commander First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland
President of the Republic of Finland has granted ambassador Alexander Vershbow the decoration of the Commander First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland for his long-standing personal contribution to enhancing Finland's partnership with Nato and deepening the transatlantic cooperation.
The first American to hold the post, Ambassador Vershbow was the Deputy Secretary General of Nato from 2012 to 2016, when the focus of the Alliance shifted from crisis management to collective defence, following the significant changes in the European security environment. In the new security situation the development of national defence capability, as well as the political dialogue with Nato have become increasingly important also for Finland.
Having previously served as the special assistant to the president and senior director for European affairs at the National Security Council, the State Department director for Soviet Union affairs, as well as the US ambassador to NATO and to the Russian Federation, ambassador Vershbow has had a good relationship with Finland already before his term as the Deputy Secretary General at NATO. At NATO he contributed significantly also to the strenghtening of Finland's partnership cooperation with the Alliance. Currently ambassador Vershbow is a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.
Ambassador of Finland to NATO, Piritta Asunmaa presented ambassador Vershbow with the decoration in Brussels on 16.5.2018.