OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu concludes visit to Helsinki

HELSINKI, 17 January 2025 — OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu concluded his visit to Helsinki today, marking his first official visit as OSCE Secretary General.

During his trip he met with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, marking the first official meeting of Secretary General Sinirlioğlu and Chairperson-in-Office Valtonen in their new leadership roles within the OSCE.

In discussions with the Chair, the Secretary General underscored his commitment to working together to create a strong and resilient Organization that can foster a more secure OSCE region, and to prepare for the future.

“These are challenging times, but I am confident that through hard diplomatic work we will be able to strengthen the Organization and contribute to a safer, more secure Europe and beyond,” said OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu.

They also discussed the priorities of the Finnish Chairpersonship and addressed some of the key security issues faced by the region, including the war in Ukraine.

“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is a violation of international law and all the key principles of the OSCE. Finland continues to stand with Ukraine. Ukraine is at the heart of our Chairpersonship,” said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Valtonen.

During his visit, Secretary General Sinirlioğlu met also with a number of high-level officials from the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and members of the parliament including from the Foreign Affairs Committee and the delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. He also met with civil society representatives and the OSCE research network.

For more information about Secretary General Sinirlioğlu, please visit Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu | OSCE

For more information about the 2025 OSCE Chairpersonship, please visit OSCE Chairpersonship 2025 | OSCE