HELSINKI (Chatnewstv.com) — Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has cancelled her participation in the Nordic–African Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Zimbabwe, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced Thursday.
The last-minute cancellation came just as the two-day summit was set to begin on Oct. 2-3. The ministry did not provide a reason for the change in plans in its official press release.
Finland will be represented by a senior diplomat, Anna-Kaisa Heikkinen, the Director General of the Department for Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
“Director General Heikkinen will represent Finland at the meeting,” the ministry confirmed in its statement, emphasizing Finland’s continued involvement despite the minister’s absence.
The annual meeting is a key forum for dialogue between the regions. According to the ministry, the agenda focuses on strengthening partnerships through discussions on “multilateral cooperation, peace and security, and trade and investments.”
This year’s meeting in Zimbabwe follows previous gatherings in Copenhagen in 2024 and Algiers in 2023.
