Foreign Minister Soini speaks about Arctic and mediation matters in Washington

Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will visit Washington DC from 5 to 9 February.

As a part of Finland's Chairmanship of the Arctic Council, Minister Timo Soini will attend an Arctic Forum, organised by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which is a non-profit policy research organization. In his speech, the Minister will highlight Finland's snow-how, which refers to our strong expertise in Arctic matters.

In addition, Soini will hold a speech at an Alliance of Virtue event, focusing on the role of religious leaders in mediation and on the importance of the principles of the OSCE today. The event will be organised by the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, the secretariat of which is held by Finn Church Aid (FCA). The Minister will also attend the National Prayer Breakfast, hosted by the US Congress, where the US President has traditionally given a speech.

The programme will include meetings with representatives of the administration, the Congress and various think tanks. The aim of the visit is to strengthen Finland's relations with the United States and to emphasise the benefits of multilateral cooperation.

"Big global challenges call for cooperation and common rules," said Foreign Minister Soini at an event focusing on the global role of the USA, held at the Little Parliament in Helsinki on 31 January. He noted that there is cause for concern as regards developments in the multilateral activities pursued by the USA. "Finland keeps looking for opportunities for more cooperation both multilaterally and bilaterally," he emphasised.

Inquiries: Jussi Tanner, Diplomatic Adviser to Foreign Minister Soini, tel. +358 295 350 663.

The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format [email protected].