The Pacific Council is hosting a webinar to discuss the effects of Finland's accession to NATO on regional security and Russia's global aspirations. The event will include experts and diplomats who will explore the benefits and challenges of Finland's membership in NATO in the context of ongoing security concerns in the region.

The discussion will focus on how Finland's membership in NATO could enhance the alliance's capabilities and contribute to the strengthening of regional security against potential Russian aggression. In addition, the panelists will delve into the broader geopolitical implications of Finland's NATO membership, including how it could impact Russia's global aspirations and its relationship with the West. 

The event will highlight the complex interplay between regional security, global politics, and Russia's role in the world. There will be time for Q&A with panelists as well.

Speaker Bios 

Okko-Pekka Salmimies took up his duties as Consul General of Finland in Los Angeles in September 2021. Ambassador Okko-Pekka Salmimies represents Finland in thirteen Western US states as Consul General of Finland. Salmimies is an expert in international trade and economy-related questions, and he joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland in 1997.

Ambassador Salmimies has previously served as an Ambassador and Head of Mission at the Permanent Delegations of Finland to the OECD and UNESCO in Paris, Ambassador for Team Finland, responsible for export and investment promotion services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director of Trade Policy, Director for Civil Society. With the Ministry, he also served as a Head of Cabinet and Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Trade, Development, and European Affairs and Desk Officer for trade policy and transatlantic relations at the EU Delegation of Finland in Brussels.

Prior to his current positioning in Los Angeles as a Consul General of Finland, Ambassador Salmimies worked as a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki. His research focused on foreign policy issues related to international trade, technology, transatlantic relations, and sustainable development. Salmimies’s most current publications cover topics related to strategic autonomy, the EU’s new trade policy, and green transition.

Alexandra Lieben is the Deputy Director of the Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations and Lecturer at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. A certified mediator, she teaches constructive communication, alternative dispute resolution, public dialogue, cultural competency, international conflict resolution, and community and economic development to undergraduate and graduate students at UCLA.

In addition to her role at the Burkle Center, Alexandra Lieben has also served as a faculty advisor on social impact projects for the UCLA Anderson School’s Applied Management Research Program and is an affiliated faculty member of the Promise Institute for Human Rights at the UCLA School of Law. Alexandra Lieben is also a member of the advisory board of the Thomas Mann House, a German government democracy initiative in Los Angeles.