Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi is in Finland for a two-day official visit to represent President William Ruto at the 13th edition of the Kultaranta talks, a high-level annual forum on emerging geopolitical dynamics, global security and emerging foreign policy trends.

Held under the theme “The Changing World Order – Old Meets New”, Mudavadi will present Kenya’s perspective on the shifting global political landscape.

The talks were being hosted by the President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander Stubb, on June 16, 2025, and today, June 17, 2025, in Naantali town, Southwest Finland.

Mudavadi, also the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, will be among the panellists in a key session titled “Accumulation of Shocks at the Global Level – What the West Should Understand”, focusing on how global power dynamics and policy shifts are impacting both developed and developing nations.

Musalia, who was received by Amb Angeline Musili, the Kenyan Ambassador to the Republic of Finland.

Kultaranta Talks

“I thank the President of the Republic of Finland for the invitation extended to President Ruto to participate in this year’s Kultaranta Talks. It is a great honour to represent our President and the people of Kenya,” said Mudavadi.

The discussions are expected to shed light and provide a way forward that will help nations understand and address the current challenges to global peace and stability as a result of the emerging global competition within the dynamics of the growing disregard for the rules-based world order.

“In an attempt to survive in this muddled international system, many countries, especially in the developing world are compelled to strike a delicate balance in their international relations to safeguard their interests amid the growing and adversarial competition among world powers,” noted Mudavadi.

Adding that: “We will therefore be seeking a roadmap on how to address the inequalities and competitions that disadvantage the developing countries with respect to how the West perceives these nations within the parameters of the global shocks which affect the most vulnerable and marginalised populations, especially in developing countries.”

Governance systems

Mudavadi will be seeking support from like-minded States on the reforms of the current global governance systems.

He is expected to highlight the impact of global developments on the African continent, with Kenya continuously playing a major role in the peace initiatives regionally and globally.

The Kultaranta Talks bring together an estimated 140 invited experts and professionals from various sectors of society, including national and international policymakers, academicians, public administrators, captains of trade and industry, civil society actors and members of the media.

The PCS will hold bilateral meetings with President Stubb and Ms Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland on the margins of the forum.

These engagements will build on the outcomes of President Stubb and Mrs. Suzanne Innes-Stubb’s recent visit to Kenya between May 12 to May 15, 2025, where Kenya and Finland signed key agreements on political consultations, peace mediation, and conflict resolution.

This was the first-ever presidential visit from Finland to Kenya and the first State visit between the two countries in 38 years, following the visit of former President Daniel Arap Moi to Finland in September 1987.

Kenya-Finland relations and partnership have grown since 1964, when the two countries established diplomatic relations.

“Kenya celebrates the long-standing people-to-people relations with Finland anchored on mutual respect, democracy, human rights and shared desire for prosperity. This includes Finland’s historical development cooperation in Kenya, covering several projects such as supporting rural water accessibility through the Kenya Finland Corporation (KEFINCO), forest management, education, good governance and equality,” affirmed Mudavadi ahead of the talks.