Kurt M. Campbell Deputy Secretary of State | Official Website
The United States recently hosted Finland for a consultation on the Indo-Pacific region. The meeting took place on October 11 in Washington, D.C., and was co-chaired by Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Finnish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Jukka Salovaara. Participants included senior officials from the U.S. Department of State, National Security Council, and Department of Defense.
Discussions focused on shared priorities to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. These included supporting international law, ensuring freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, maintaining stability across the Taiwan Strait, and strengthening maritime and security cooperation in the region. Concerns were raised regarding China's support for Russia's defense industrial base and the increasing military ties between Russia and North Korea.
Both countries emphasized developing critical relationships between NATO Allies and NATO's Indo-Pacific partners to tackle significant security challenges. They also agreed to enhance economic opportunities and resilience in the region through technology partnerships.
Deputy Secretary Campbell and State Secretary Salovaara further addressed topics such as security, defense, technology cooperation, Finland's integration into NATO, and Russia’s actions against Ukraine. They reaffirmed their support for Ukraine amidst Russia’s invasion efforts. Additionally, they highlighted their commitment to diplomatic initiatives in the Middle East while calling for immediate de-escalation.
