President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö attended the inaugural summit of the International Crimea Platform in Kyiv, Ukraine on Monday, 23 August 2021.
President Niinistö addressed the summit, stating that Finland’s support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity is solid. “Finland supports international efforts to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity.”
In his speech, President Niinistö referred to the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, held in Helsinki in 1975, which agreed on the key principles of European security. The President stated that now it is necessary both to defend these principles and to reach higher: the willingness to engage in dialogue to resolve differences is required. “In order to ensure conditions in which our people can live in a true and lasting state of peace, we need to rebuild trust. In short: we need the spirit of Helsinki.”
After the summit session, President Niinistö attended a lunch hosted by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
The International Crimea Platform is an initiative of Ukraine aimed at raising the issue of Crimea in international cooperation and strengthening international coordination on the situation in Crimea.
President Niinistö last met with President Zelensky on an official visit to Ukraine in September 2019.
