Finland to join NATO FMs meeting for 1st time

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend a meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest from November 29 to November 30, said the ministry on Friday in a press release.

This is the first time Finland attends the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs as an invitee to NATO.

As an invitee, Finland, however, will not participate in NATO’s decision-making.

“Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine has profoundly changed the security situation in the Euro-Atlantic and Baltic Sea regions. In this meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, we will represent our unity when confronted with threats and address our support to Ukraine”, Haavisto said.

The meeting consists of three working sessions on contemporary NATO matters. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the implementation of NATO’s Strategic Concept are some of the topics of discussion.

The session on the implementation of NATO’s Strategic Concept is expected to cover issues such as China and energy security. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will chair these working sessions.

NATO partners Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova and Georgia are invited to join for a session focusing on their need for support after the changed security environment resulting from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

At the working dinner, the foreign ministers will discuss Ukraine’s needs for assistance with Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba.