Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 21 June

The theme of the high-level debate will be “Upholding democratic security in Europe”. In addition to Foreign Minister Haavisto, President of PACE Tiny Kox, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland and new President of the Committee of Ministers Simon Coveney, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić, and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will speak at the event.

The high-level PACE panel will be part of the discussion on European security and the future role of the Council of Europe. Russia’s membership in the Council of Europe was terminated in March following its aggression against Ukraine and its blatant violation of international law and the organisation’s Statute. In the new situation, the priorities of the organisation of 46 member States must be redefined. Supporting Ukraine and Ukrainians is one of the most urgent matters on the Council of Europe’s agenda.

“We need a strong Council of Europe that is able to ensure the realisation of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe and thus prevent wars and conflicts in the future. Cooperation with civil society is also a priority for Finland,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto.

Inquiries

• Laila Clyne, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 492
• Tarja Kangaskorte, Director, Unit for Human Rights Policy, +358 295 350 292
• The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi