Come share a drink with us as we continue the Pacific Council's Cocktails With a Consulate event series! Hosted in collaboration with members of the Los Angeles Consular Corps, each event pairs a uniquely themed cocktail with a conversation on the global discourse, creating space to strengthen Los Angeles' diplomatic relationships.

This installment, hosted on May 14 at 6 pm PT, will feature Consul General Minna Laajava, the Consul General of Finland in Los Angeles, and Ambassador (ret.) Kristina A. Kvien, President & CEO of the Pacific Council. Together, they will explore Finland's historic relationship with Russia, its perspective on the ongoing war in Ukraine, and how the conflict has reshaped the country's national security strategy. As Finland deepens its partnership with the United States and strengthens its role within NATO, the discussion will evaluate what these developments mean for regional stability and the future of security cooperation with the U.S.

Following the conversation, guests will enjoy an Arctic Mule, a Finnish take on the classic Moscow Mule, and the opportunity to network with fellow Pacific Council members and members of the Consular Corps. 

Please note that the address will be shared with registrants on a later date.

If you are interested in registering, but are not a Pacific Council member, please email events@pacificcouncil.org.

Guest Speaker

Consul General Minna Laajava took up her duties as Consul General of Finland in Los Angeles in September 2025. Consul General Laajava represents Finland in twelve Western US states.

Prior to her current position in Los Angeles as a Consul General of Finland, Laajava worked as the Director of the Unit for Security Policy and Crisis Management at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. During her term of office, Finland's NATO membership process and NATO integration were main priorities. Previously, Laajava has served i.a. as the Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Finland in London in 2017–2021, at the Unit for Security Policy and Crisis Management, and in the Embassies of Finland in Paris and Stockholm.

Minna Laajava joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2003. She holds a Master's degree in Social Sciences (Political Science) from the University of Helsinki and a Master of Science in European Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Presider 

Ambassador (ret.) Kristina A. Kvien assumed the role of President and CEO of Pacific Council in March, 2026.

Previously, she spent over three decades as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State.  She retired as a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor. From 2023-2026, she served as the tenth U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia.  From 2019-2022, she served as the Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy Ukraine, leading evacuation of the Embassy shortly before Russia’s further invasion in 2022 and return to the Embassy in May 2022. For her work in Ukraine, Ambassador Kvien received the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy.

Ambassador Kvien has dedicated her career to deepening U.S. relations with Europe and Southeast Asia.  She served as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at U.S. Embassy Paris; Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy Bangkok; Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy London; and Director for European Union, Ukraine, and Belarus Affairs at the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President. Ambassador Kvien earlier served at U.S. Embassy Moscow; the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels; U.S. Embassy Manila; and Washington DC, where she worked on European Union issues and bilateral relations with Slovenia.

Ambassador Kvien was born and raised in California, with a BA in Political Science from Occidental College and an MS in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.  Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she worked in the Sales Presentation Department at the Los Angeles Times.