The public lecture attracted more than a thousand attendees to the Kuopio Campus, with thousands more following it online
President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb’s public lecture attracted a record audience of more than 1,000 people to the University of Eastern Finland’s Kuopio Campus on Wednesday, 12 November 2025.
The great lecture hall in the Snellmania building was filled to capacity, with additional viewers following a live stream in the lobby and in two lecture rooms, as well as online. All in all, the lecture reached an audience of several thousand. A recording of the lecture will be available on the university’s Vimeo channel for two weeks in November 2025.
President Stubb visited North Savo on 11–12 November. At the University of Eastern Finland, he gave a public lecture discussing the shift in the balance of power, as well as values, interests and power in foreign policy. According to the President, Finland has values and interests, but its power is limited, which is why the small country seeks to influence those with more power.
“Foreign policy is about values, interests and power, every day. In an ideal world, values would be universal, and generally accepted rules would guarantee peaceful solutions. However, when it comes to interests, there is a tendency to turn inward,” President Stubb said, describing the state of the world.
According to President Stubb, the world has reached a point where both success and failure are possible. With regard to the balance of power between the Global East, the Global West and the Global South, President Stubb highlighted the decisive role of the powerful countries in the Global South.
“Finding a way for the Global East, the Global West and the Global South to engage in dialogue is key. At present, we are reliant on bilateral agreements, which adds difficulty to international relations.”
After the lecture, the audience posed questions to the President on topics such as hope among young people, equality, immigration, entrepreneurship, innovation and climate change. The audience also had the opportunity to take photos with the President.
President Stubb arrived in North Savo after attending the UN Climate Conference in Brazil, and the President will attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, next week.
The university invests in its strengths in comprehensive security research and education
During his visit to North Savo, President Stubb met several actors in Iisalmi and Kuopio who represent the region’s vitality and capacity for innovation and renewal. In his speech, Rector Tapio Määttä included the University of Eastern Finland among those creating a positive drive in Eastern Finland.
“The University of Eastern Finland has chosen to be a university characterised by bold renewal and growth. When the university began operations 15 years ago, we were Finland’s seventh largest university. Last year, we awarded the fourth highest number of Master’s degrees among the Finnish universities,” Määttä said.
Määttä also highlighted the size of the university’s international student body, the university’s strong expertise in research in medicines and health, as well as its internationally recognised expertise relating to forest and climate sciences.
“The university also conducts extensive research and offers education across the different sectors of comprehensive security. We have identified our strengths in comprehensive security and will continue to invest in them. These include our nationally unique toxicology education and research, the development of crisis preparedness within Finland’s social welfare, health care and rescue services, and our cutting-edge photonics research that is closely linked with the national Digital Defence Ecosystem. Our interdisciplinary border studies also address the competence needs emerging from comprehensive security. Right now, cultural, linguistic and religious encounters are highly relevant across the globe, as they challenge the resilience of societies worldwide,” Määttä said.
