The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, has arrived in Helsinki, Finland, where she will participate in the 19th Nordic-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

Minister Pandor's visit to Helsinki is at the invitation of her Finnish counterpart, Minister Pekka Haavisto.

The meeting takes place from today, Monday, 13 June, to Wednesday, 15 June 2022.

The last engagement between Nordic-Africa Foreign Ministers was held in Tanzania in 2019, following which these engagements were postponed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Africa-Nordic Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is an important annual forum for informal and open-minded discussions between African and Nordic countries.

The Meeting in Helsinki is expected to include the Foreign Ministers of all the Nordic countries, as well as several African Foreign Ministers.

The focus of the meeting this year is on promoting peace and security, sustainable societies, the rule of law, youth and women, as well as enhancing African-Nordic multilateral cooperation, all of which are important priorities for South Africa.

The visit to Finland will be followed by working visits to Sweden and Norway for bilateral engagements with the respective Foreign Ministers.