Foreign Minister Valtonen to attend UN peacekeeping ministerial meeting

Foreign Minister Valtonen to attend UN peacekeeping ministerial meeting

Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin on 13-14 May.

The United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Ministerial will be held in Germany on 13-14 May. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

The meeting will serve as a high-level political forum to discuss the future of peacekeeping.

Finland has participated in UN peacekeeping operations in different parts of the world since 1955.

"We support the strengthening and development of UN peacekeeping operations. We are a reform-minded and solution-oriented Member State with a reliable, long-term approach to contributing troops and police to the operations. The main motivation of reforming operations should be to improve their efficiency and to enhance the UN's ability to act for peace and security," says Minister Valtonen.

Finland is participating in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) operation with approximately 200 soldiers, which is the largest Finnish contingent. Apart from that Finland is participating in the UN Truce Supervision Organization's (UNTSO) operation in the Middle East and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The Foreign Minister will also have bilateral meetings in Berlin, and she will give a speech at the German Federal Academy for Security Policy.