Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto to visit Washington DC and New York

Foreign Minister Haavisto will visit Washington DC from 7 to 8 December. He will meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. They will discuss the progress of Finland’s NATO membership process and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, among other matters. In addition to this bilateral meeting, Minister Haavisto and Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström will meet Secretary of State Blinken together.

“It is important that Finland has regular dialogue with the United States on matters concerning European security. Finland is committed to supporting Ukraine in cooperation with the EU and our partners. We appreciate all the support the United States has given to Finland’s NATO membership,” Minister Haavisto says.

In Washington, Foreign Minister Haavisto will meet representatives of the US administration and US Congress and exchange views on topical foreign and security policy themes with researchers. In addition, Minister Haavisto will participate in a panel discussion on European security, which is organised by the Aspen Security Forum. The biannual forum brings together government officials, business executives, academics and journalists to discuss topical questions of foreign and security policy.

Minister Haavisto will visit New York on 9 December, where he will meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN leaders responsible for peacebuilding and humanitarian questions. One of the topics of the meetings will be the global effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Other themes of discussion will be topical regional matters, such as the situation in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf and the Horn of Africa.

Inquiries

Laila Clyne, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 492

Hanna-Leena Korteniemi, Director, Unit for North America, tel. +358 295 350 662

Anna Salovaara, Director, Unit for UN and General Global Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 018

The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi.