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His Excellency Sauli Niinistö, President of the Republic of Finland, will visit the Washington State Capitol on Monday, Mar. 6, 2023. He will be received by Gov. Jay Inslee, and he will address a Joint Session of the Washington State Legislature.
The president will begin a five-day tour in the United States with his visit to Washington state.
The president’s visit this year comes as Finland intends to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and as the Russian invasion of Ukraine passes its one-year anniversary. Both Finland and Washington state have welcomed Ukrainian refugees with open arms. More than 16,000 have arrived to the state in the last year, more than any other state.
“Finland’s bright thinking, sustainable innovation, and present equanimity inspire the world,” said Inslee. “President Niinistö said recently that the ‘cold face of war is visible’ on his continent. Finland has not wavered. It was my honor to be received by the president in Finland last September, and it is again my honor to welcome him to Olympia to discuss our partnership.”
The president’s visit to the Washington State Capitol will include a greeting with the governor, a performance of the Finnish and American national anthems by the Finnish Choral Society of Seattle, and remarks by the president to a joint session of the Washington State Legislature. After the address, Inslee and Niinistö will lead a bilateral meeting and participate in a joint media availability.
Inslee visited Finland during a trade mission to the Nordic countries in September 2022. The governor met with President Niinistö and his spouse Dr. Jenni Haukio at the Presidential Palace and participated in a bilateral meeting with Speaker of the Parliament Matti Vanhanen. The Washington state delegation discussed Finland’s strategy to eliminate and repurpose waste with Finnish officials at the VTT Technical Research Centre, learned how heat from Microsoft data centers is replacing fossil fuels in district heating, and visited a Helsinki primary school with Helsinki’s Deputy Mayor Nasima Razmyar. The delegation also saw a demonstration of Finland’s advances in alternative fuels for maritime shipping.
Washington state and Finland signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2021 to begin partnership on technological research, port modernization, clean energy and transportation, and sustainable forestry. The MOU remains in effect through 2026. The two leaders will discuss further cooperation under the terms of the MOU during the visit.
 Gov. Jay Inslee and President Sauli Niinistö shake hands during the governor’s visit to Finland in September 2022. The governor will host the president at the Washington State Capitol on Mar. 6, 2023.
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