President makes 24 foreign trips in less than 9 months

President Alexander Stubb will inspect the Finnish Army and visit the Dynamic Front 25 multinational field artillery exercise in Lapland on Monday, said the President Office in a press release.

Stubb is visiting Lapland after making 24 foreign trips in the first eight and a half months after taking over as the President in March.

The number of trips abroad is more than double compared to former President Sauli Niinistö, who made 11 foreign trips in the same period, reported national broadcaster Yle, quoting news agency STT.

Referring to the President Office source, the report said that the number of visits was due to world political situation, which required face-to-face meetings.

Meanwhile, during the inspection visit in Lapland, Stubb will observe Lightning Strike 24, an exercise led by the Finnish Army Academy.

Lightning Strike 24 is part of the United States-led Dynamic Front 25 exercise.

The visit will include an introduction to NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) and the coordination of ground and air operations.

The President will also meet with exercise staff.

Dynamic Front 25 is being conducted in five different countries. It is the largest iteration of NATO’s artillery exercise in Europe to date.

Dynamic Front 25 takes place in November at several locations across Europe, including Finland, Estonia, Germany, Romania and Poland.

The exercise will involve over 5,000 soldiers from 28 countries. The geographical focus will be on Rovajärvi in Finnish Lapland, where a total of 3,600 soldiers will take part in training.