North Atlantic Council to visit Finland

Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Press release 24/2021
20 October 2021

The North Atlantic Council (NAC), composed of ambassadors from NATO member countries and chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, will visit Finland on 25–26 October 2021.

President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö will meet with Secretary General Stoltenberg and representatives of the Council on Monday, 25 October in the Presidential Palace. The visit will begin with bilateral discussions between President Niinistö and Secretary General Stoltenberg, at the end of which they will hold a joint press conference. After the press conference, the President will have discussions with the Council.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will meet with the North Atlantic Council for a lunch discussion. Minister Haavisto and Secretary General Stoltenberg will also have a bilateral meeting.

During the day, the Secretary General and the NATO ambassadors will visit Parliament, where they will meet with Speaker of Parliament Anu Vehviläinen and representatives of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees. The programme also includes a visit to the Guard Jaeger Regiment, hosted by Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen and General Timo Kivinen, Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces.

At the end of the evening, Prime Minister Sanna Marin will meet with Secretary General Stoltenberg bilaterally and host dinner for the NATO ambassadors.

On Tuesday, 26 October the programme includes a meeting with Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo and a visit and briefing of the activities of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.

From Finland, the North Atlantic Council and the Secretary General will continue their journey to Sweden, which they will visit on 26–27 October.