Finland’s Chairmanship in the Arctic Council, participation in security sector training cooperation in Iraq, and Russia and Ukraine discussed at the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy

Finland’s two-year Chairmanship of the Arctic Council begins on 11 May at the meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs in Fairbanks, Alaska. On Friday 5 May, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the programme for Finland’s Chairmanship and other topical Arctic issues.

The key themes for Finland’s Chairmanship are environmental protection, connectivity, meteorology and education. Climate change and sustainable development form a broad framework for the Chairmanship programme. Finland’s Arctic expertise will be promoted during the Chairmanship.

The President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy stated that Finland will continue to participate in security sector training as well as advise and assist activities in Iraq (Operation Inherent Resolve OIR) with about one hundred soldiers until the end of 2018. In Iraq Finland also supports stabilisation activities by development cooperation funds as well as provides humanitarian aid and funds demining.

The current situation in Russia and Ukraine was also on the agenda in the light of the visit of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Finland yesterday.

Inquiries: Jukka Salovaara, Director General, tel. +358 295 350 636, Aleksi Härkönen, Ambassador for Arctic Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 471, Timo Kantola, Deputy Director General (crisis management), tel. +358 295 351 477, Maimo Henriksson, Director General (Russia and Ukraine), tel. +358 295 351 247, Ministry for Foreign Affairs; Helena Partanen, Deputy Director General (crisis management), tel. +358 295 140 310, Ministry of Defence