MFA: Foreign Minister Soini to Inari – tour of schools continues

The Arctic Parliamentary Conference will gather nearly 50 members of parliament from the Arctic countries. Delegates will arrive to Inari from all the Nordic countries, Canada, the Russian Federation, the European Parliament, indigenous peoples' organisations, and countries with an observer status in the Arctic Council, including China and Singapore. The topics of discussion will include, among other things, the development of connectivity, the impacts of climate change in the Arctic, and questions relating to corporate social responsibility.

Foreign Minister Soini will attend the first part of the conference and hold a speech in which he will look at Finland's ongoing Arctic Chairmanship.

After the conference, Soini will continue his tour of Finnish schools, launched in 2017, and visit Ivalo Upper Secondary School. The primary theme of these school visits is the significance of foreign and security policy in the prevention of violent radicalisation. Violent radicalisation is a growing threat factor in the world, including in Finland. It is prevented by exercising an active human rights policy and by strengthening the position of women and girls, as well as through mediation and crisis management, for example. International cooperation is important in all these areas.

"Like any other global security threat, violent radicalisation requires cooperation. Countries cannot solve these questions alone," Soini reminds.

Foreign Minister Soini started his visits to Finnish schools in November 2017 and has toured both in the Helsinki region and in the regions. The aim of the school visits has been to meet young people and to discuss their participation and opportunities of influence in society.

"I am interested in this matter and intend to continue touring Finnish schools this autumn, too. My message is clear; defending human dignity against radicalisation. Discussion and students' questions form an important part of the visits. Finnish youth are smart. I have learnt a lot from them and will continue to learn more."

Inquiries: Riikka Taivassalo, Special Adviser to Foreign Minister Soini, tel. +358 46 923 4581.

The Foreign Ministry's email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi