NATO Council and Secretary General visiting Finland

NordenBladet — The North Atlantic Council (NAC), composed of ambassadors from NATO member states and the chair of the council, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visit Finland on 25–26 October 2021. Photo: NATOThe visit begins with bilateral discussions between President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö and Secretary General Stoltenberg, and with discussions between the President and the Council.Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto meets with the North Atlantic Council for lunch discussion. Minister Haavisto and Secretary General Stoltenberg will also have a bilateral meeting.During the day, the NATO ambassadors visit Parliament, where they 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.In the evening, Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin meets with Secretary General Stoltenberg bilaterally and hosts dinner for the NATO ambassadors.On Tuesday, 26 October the programme includes a meeting with Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo and a briefing of the activities of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.The visit provides an opportunity to promote NATO’s understanding of the security situation in the Baltic Sea region and in Northern Europe. Furthermore, the visit manifests close partnership of Finland and Sweden with NATO and bilaterally with each other.From Finland, the North Atlantic Council and the Secretary General will continue their journey to Sweden, which they will visit on 26–27 October.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi