Foreign Minister Valtonen to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina

Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Bosnia and Herzegovina from 17 to 18 March. This is her first visit to South-Eastern Europe as the Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The aim of the visit is to strengthen the OSCE’s partnership in the region.

During her visit to Sarajevo, Minister Elina Valtonen will meet Bosnia and Herzegovina’s high-level officials, OSCE Mission members and representatives of civil society organisations. She will also visit EUFOR Althea and NATO’s headquarters in Camp Butmir.

“The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina was established in 1995 to help secure lasting peace in the country. The Mission is tasked to strengthen democracy, foster good governance and human rights, and support the development of a multi-national and multi-ethnic society. The current political situation is of concern and it could have far-reaching consequences for the stability in the region. The international community stands ready to support Bosnia and Herzegovina, but solutions must come from a commitment to democracy, dialogue, and constitutional integrity,” said Chairperson-in-Office Valtonen.

As OSCE Chair, Finland wants to strengthen the organisation’s work in South-Eastern Europe on the basis of jointly agreed principles. Finland continues to systematically call attention to the Helsinki Final Act’s principles, which have been in place since 1975. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act.