NATO Secretary General meets Finnish Foreign Minister
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto to NATO Headquarters for the first time on Monday (21 September). The Secretary General praised the close partnership between NATO and Finland, and thanked the minister for Finland’s contributions to NATO operations and exercises. He noted that NATO and Finnish troops continue to work side by side in NATO missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq.
The Secretary General and Minister Haavisto discussed the mutual benefits of the NATO-Finland partnership and agreed on the need to continue working closely on a range of issues, including Baltic Sea security and countering hybrid threats.
The Secretary General and the minister also exchanged views on Belarus, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, NATO-EU cooperation, the impact of climate change on the security environment and developments in the Arctic. They took the opportunity to discuss the NATO 2030 reflection process to strengthen NATO. Mr. Stoltenberg stressed that engagement with partners is important in this process.