Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin will visit New Zealand next week, the first time the leader of her country has done so.

It was announced today by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, it will also be the first time the two world leaders will meet.

The two leaders will meet in Auckland and will be joined by the Finnish Minister for Development Co-operation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari and a business delegation.

“New Zealand and Finland are natural partners. We share similar approaches and views on many international issues, including the importance of the rule of law, multilateralism, sustainability, and free and open trade,” Jacinda Ardern said.

“We look forward to building our trade and investment relationship with Finland, utilising the opportunities presented by the conclusion of our free trade agreement with the European Union. The ongoing and active support of friends such as Finland is welcome as we move toward signing and ratifying the FTA as soon as possible”.

The ambitious and ground-breaking goals of the FTA between New Zealand and the EU are to advance commerce and sustainable development. It is expected to increase exports to the EU by up to $1.8 billion per year.

The Finnish Prime Minister is expected to arrive here on November 29 and will stay until December 1.