Admiral James G. Stavridis meets with the President of the Republic of Finland Mrs. Tarja Halonen in Helsinki.

After visiting Sweden, Admiral James Stavridis, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)travelled toFinland from 11 -12 May,at the invitationof Chief of Defence of the Finnish Armed Forces, General Ari Puheloinen. He also had a meeting with the President of the Republic, Mrs. Tarja Halonen.

At the beginning of his tenure as SACEUR in July 2009, Admiral Stavridis declared his intention to pay a visit to all Partner and NATO countries and he now spent two days in Finland.

During his visit, Admiral Stavridis told Finnish officials and the media: "NATO is grateful that Finland is with us in such important missionsas ISAF and KFOR. They are currently participating in Afghanistan with 150 troops and in Kosovo with nearly 250 - and they do it very effectively."

During his visit, he attended a ship ride to Satahamina Garrison to observe a navy display enroute and an army display presented by BG Juha-Pekka Liikolam, Commander of the Southern Command. This live firing exercise, presented mostly by Finnish conscripts, impressed him deeply: "It was good to see these ambitious conscripts acting in this enthusiastic and professional way.”

Admiral Stavridis expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and emphasized that he was particularly pleased with the productive talks and positive impressions he would be taking home from this visit.