Tuesday October
7th
On Tuesday morning our New York group took a break from sightseeing for a more serious visit. Our next destination was the Consulate General of Finland in New York and Finland’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. The meeting with representatives from both institutions took place on the 35th floor of a skyscraper on Third Avenue.
When we arrived
at the meeting room high above the city, we were greeted by Deputy Consul
General Keijo Karjalainen. Our visit began with Mr. Karjalainen explaining the
basic scope of the Consulate Generals activities. The institution’s missions
include promoting trade relations and supporting Finnish cultural activities in
the United States. The Consulate General is also responsible for strengthening
Finland’s national brand. After becoming familiar with the Consulate General’s
work, we moved on to asking questions and discussing themes ranging from Mr.
Karjalainen’s career to the challenges New York City is currently facing.
Halfway through
our visit, Deputy Permanent Representative Lauri Voionmaa joined us to present
Finland’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. The agency’s task is to
represent Finland’s policies within the UN. As in the first part of our
meeting, after learning the basics, we discussed a wide range of topics with
Mr. Voionmaa — from global politics to the United States’ role in the UN and
the future prospects of the organization. As Mr. Voionmaa described, New York
City is the “global center of diplomacy.”
As our visit neared its end, the conversation turned into more everyday matters. Together with Mr. Karjalainen and Mr. Voionmaa, we shared our group’s experiences in New York so far, and on the other hand, we got to hear what everyday life in the Big Apple is like from a Finnish perspective. Our group would like to thank the Consulate General, the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations, and their representatives, Mr. Voionmaa and Mr. Karjalainen for an educational and engaging visit!
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