Minister Shaheen Urges International Action in Meeting with Finland’s Permanent Secretary

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Varsen Shaheen met with Finland’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jukka Salovaara, in Geneva. The Minister discussed the latest developments in Palestine and the mounting challenges facing international law.

Minister Shaheen  expressed her deep appreciation for Finland’s steadfast support for the Palestinian cause and extended her gratitude for Finland’s decision to resume funding for UNRWA. She emphasized the agency’s irreplaceable role and the critical need to safeguard its operations. “The Palestinian people are facing an unprecedented threat,” Shaheen stated. “Israeli occupation forces have forcibly displaced more than 40,000 Palestinian refugees from their homes in the northern West Bank and 1.5 million in Gaza. Entire neighborhoods have been demolished, power grids and hospitals systematically destroyed, and Palestinian refugee camps and UNRWA itself have been deliberately targeted. At this defining moment, all nations that uphold justice must stand in defense of international law and hold perpetrators accountable.”

For his part, Mr. Salovaara commended the strong bilateral relations between Finland and Palestine. He reaffirmed Finland’s unwavering commitment to advocating for the respect of international humanitarian law and human rights, stressing that these principles remain the most powerful tools in the pursuit of a just and comprehensive resolution