As Finland celebrates its centennial, its President Sauli Niinistö and first lady Jenni Haukio are coming to the Twin Cities this week for FinnFest USA 2017.

“It’s not hyperbole to say this is a significant honor and auspicious occasion for Minnesota,” said Anne Ulseth, spokeswoman for the festival. The Finnish president will be in Minnesota from Thursday through Saturday.

His trip to the U.S. also includes stops in New York City for the opening week of the U.N. General Assembly session and Washington, D.C., for a centennial gala at the Finnish embassy.

With nearly 100,000 descendants, Minnesota has one of the largest communities of Finnish immigrants in the U.S. Finns and their descendants have been living in Minnesota for 150 years, Ulseth said, and the landscapes of many counties are dominated by Finnish cultural geography.

“He’s coming here because this has become a really incredible platform on which to present Finland to … the U.S.,” said Marianne Wargelin, honorary consul of Finland in the Twin Cities.

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While visiting, Niinistö will meet with Gov. Mark Dayton, attend an all-Finnish program by the Minnesota Orchestra — directed by Finland-native Osmo Vänskä — and receive an honorary doctorate of laws degree from the University of Minnesota.

The honorary degree is the highest award presented by the university.

“The degree recognizes not only President Niinistö’s esteemed career, but also the deep connections the University of Minnesota and the state of Minnesota have with Finland and the Finnish people,” U President Eric Kaler said in a prepared statement.

For information on FinnFest USA 2017, as well as Niinistö’s visit, go to finnfest.us/festival-2017/.