Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Press release 24/2026
20 April 2026
President of the Republic of Estonia Alar Karis, accompanied by his spouse Sirje Karis, will pay a state visit to Finland on 28–29 April 2026. The visit will be hosted by President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb and his spouse Suzanne Innes-Stubb.
The visit will provide further opportunities to deepen bilateral relations between the countries and to strengthen cooperation in security and defence technologies, as well as in the field of culture.
President Stubb and Mrs Innes-Stubb will receive the Estonian presidential couple at an official welcome ceremony on Tuesday 28 April in front of the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. The public will be able to follow the ceremony from the Market Square at around 10.00.
After the welcome ceremony, official discussions will be held at the Presidential Palace. The talks will cover the security situation in the Baltic Sea region and regional cooperation, Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and transatlantic relations. After the discussions, the Presidents will hold a joint press conference.
On Tuesday, the programme will include a luncheon hosted by Mayor Daniel Sazonov at Helsinki City Hall and a visit to the Parliament of Finland and a meeting with Speaker of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho. The Estonian head of state is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the Prime Minister’s official residence Kesäranta.
In the afternoon, the presidential couples will visit the Oodi Central Library in Helsinki, where President Stubb and President Karis will engage in discussions on literature and reading, and read books to pupils from Latokartano Comprehensive School.
The first day of the state visit will conclude with a state banquet hosted by President Stubb and Mrs Innes-Stubb at the Presidential Palace.
On Tuesday morning 29 April, President Karis and his spouse will lay wreaths at the Hietaniemi Cemetery and the Old Church Park. Then, the presidential couples will visit the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma.
After that, the presidents will participate in a Finnish-Estonian business event focusing on security and defence technologies.
The next programme item is a visit to the National Defence University in Santahamina, where President Karis will give an address entitled Defending Tomorrow Together: The Baltic Sea Region in a Stronger Europe. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion on security and resilience and a Q&A session with students.
The programme will then continue with a visit to Aalto University and a presentation of the university’s satellite laboratory, as well as a demonstration of the Aalto Ice and Wave Tank, designed to test ships and other maritime structures in ice conditions.
The state visit will conclude on Wednesday evening with a reception hosted by President Karis and his spouse.
The state visit delegation will include Minister of Defence of Estonia Hanno Pevkur, Henn Põlluaas, Member of Parliament and Member of the Estonia-Finland Friendship Group, Mati Raidma, Member of Parliament, Member of the National Defence Committee, as well as a business and culture delegation.
During the visit, the spouses will have a separate programme in addition to the joint programme. They will visit the café IPI Kulmakuppila, the Ateneum Art Museum, and learn about the activities of the Helsinki Deaconess Foundation and SOS Children’s Villages.
President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb and his spouse Suzanne Innes-Stubb paid a state visit to Estonia in 2024.
