Minister Soini to the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels

The Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs will be organised at NATO Headquaters in Brussels on 1–2 December 2015. In connection with the meeting on 1 December, a Resolute Support (RS) meeting will be organised at the level of Foreign Ministers together with the nations contributing troops to the operation. Finland's representative in the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini.

In addition to Afghanistan and the more than 40 countries participating in the RS mission, invited representatives to the meeting include Japan, the Republic of Korea and the UN, as well as the EU's High Representative.

The Resolute Support meeting will discuss the way ahead in the operation. Other topics of discussion will be the security situation in Afghanistan more generally and financial support to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) after 2017. The  discussions will also touch upon the projected civilian-led NATO presence in the country after the Resolute Support Mission has ended (enhanced Enduring Partnership). After the meeting, Foreign Minister Soini will have bilateral discussions with the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Salahuddin Rabban.

Minister Soini will also meet Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.  Their discussions will focus, among other things, on partnership cooperation, issues related to the security of the Baltic Sea region, and topical international questions.  

Inquiries: Jussi Tanner, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 663 and Jukka Salovaara, Director General, tel. +358 295 350 636.