Government of Finland

02/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/15/2026 02:00

Foreign Minister Valtonen to visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territory

Foreign Minister Valtonen to visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territory

Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Publication date 15.2.2026 8.59 | Published in English on 15.2.2026 at 9.00
Type:Press release

Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Israel and the Occupied the Palestinian territory on 15-16 February.

During her visit, Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Minister for Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar in Jerusalem, and Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Mohammad Mustafa in Ramallah. Ahead of her visit, Minister Valtonen met with the Palestinian Authority's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Varsen Aghabekian on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on 13 February.

The discussions will focus on Finland's bilateral relations with Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and topical foreign and security policy issues, including the regional situation in the Middle East and support to Ukraine.

"Finland's long-term policy is to support a two-state solution to achieve a lasting and peaceful solution between Israel and the Palestinians. The discussions in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territory will support this goal and strengthen our bilateral dialogue with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority," says Minister for Foreign Affairs Valtonen.

During her visit, Minister Valtonen will also meet, among others, Palestinian civil society actors and visit the World Holocaust Remembrance Center Yad Vashem.

Inquiries

  • Matias Pajula, Special Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 50 441 8731
  • Hannu Heinonen, Director, Unit for the Middle East and the Gulf, tel. +358 295 351 501
  • The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format [email protected].
Government of Finland published this content on February 15, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 15, 2026 at 08:00 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]