Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva visits the United States

Press release 47/2008
8 February, 2008

Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva will visit Washington D.C. on February 10-13. He will meet with the US political leadership to discuss current international affairs, OSCE issues and bilateral relations between Finland and the United States.

On Monday, 11 February, Kanerva will meet US Sercretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates. Kanerva will also deliver a speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center titled Finlands´s foreign policy; European ambitions and global challenges.

He will meet with Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried and Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Richard Lugar on Tuesday, 12 February.

Foreign Minister Kanerva, the present OSCE Chairman-in Office, will address the congressional hearing of the Helsinki Commision on Wednesday, 13 Feburary. Kanerva is also scheduled to meet the national security adviser to the President of the United States, Stephen Hadley.

Further information: Counsellor Anna Wickström-Noejgaard, Unit for North America, tel. +358 9 1605 6253; Jori Arvonen, Special Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 50 553 6117; and Kari Mokko, Press Counselor, Embassy of Finland, Washington D.C. tel: +1 202 298 5820.