President Sauli Niinistö and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed European security, the situation in Gaza and Ukraine. You can watch a recording of the event below.
Anna Karismo,
Olli-Pekka Toivanen
President Sauli Niinistö commented on the situation on Finland’s eastern border at a press conference in Germany today, Wednesday. Niinistö was asked if Russia uses asylum seekers as a weapon when directing them to the borders of Finland and Germany.
Niinistö began his answer by recalling the wave of asylum seekers who arrived from Russia in 2015–2016. Both then and now, it was noticed that the arrivals represented several dozen nationalities, Niinistö said.
– Citizens of a third country come from Russia. Apparently the route is for them to fly or be flown to Moscow, where they will probably receive assistance for a fee. We know that the Russian authorities assist immigrants near the border who are always undocumented.
Some of those who came to Finland may have continued or will now continue their journey to Germany, Niinistö said. In Germany, both certain states and parties have begun to demand restrictions on the processing of asylum applications.
– I think it is very important that Germany has made solutions to reduce attractiveness. This might also ease the situation in the EU’s external border countries, such as Finland, although I am not convinced of that, Niinistö estimates.
According to Niinistö, in the border situation, Finland’s security and tolerance and human rights are at odds. Solving this issue is up to the whole of Europe, he said.
Niinistö and the Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier talked at Steinmeier’s official residence in Villa Hammerschmidt in Bonn. You can watch a recording of the event above.
The presidents also discussed the situation in Gaza. Germany has strongly supported Israel in the Gaza war. Steinmeier has appealed to people of Palestinian and Arab background in Germany to distance themselves from the terrorist organization Hamas.
Both Finland and Germany have also made large arms deals with Israel recently.
In addition to the escalation of hostilities, Niinistö feared that the situation would deepen the division between Western countries and Islamic countries. He considers it necessary that both sides of the conflict release both hostages and civilians from war zones.
– As for the cease-fires, they should be sufficient so that civilian transfers can be successful and humanitarian aid can be delivered. I have not noticed that Hamas has agreed with this concept, Niinistö said.
Security and defense issues will also be on the agenda later today and tomorrow, when the presidents will talk with foreign and security policy experts and visit the German Ministry of Defense. There, they learn about drones and other modern defense technologies.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been the President of the Federal Republic of Germany since 2017. The Bundestag elected him for a second five-year term in February of last year. He was the foreign minister, the federal chancellor Angela Merkel in the first government in 2005–2009. Steinmeier last visited Finland in April 2022.
Updated on November 15, 2023 at 5:25 p.m.