Current affairs

U.S. support to the OSCE to face challenges in Kosovo and with election observation and the region's protracted conflicts is vital to the Organization's continued effectiveness, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, said today on 13 February to the U.S. Helsinki Commission.

The OSCE is a vital component of international security, and U.S. engagement in the Organization remains crucial, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, said after talks with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on 11 February.

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.

Under the leadership of Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, a trans-Atlantic network was established on Monday, 4 February. Experts in relations between Finland and the United States, from different sectors of society, will be invited to attend meetings of the network.

Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva's two-day visit to the US capital started in Foggy Bottom when he met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the State Department. The morning session on June 11 went on for longer than planned as the leaders discussed world affairs rangeing from excellent bi-lateral relations to the European Union, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Russia.