Andersson and Hultqvist will meet with President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö, Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin and Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen.
The Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson and the Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist will arrive in Finland tomorrow, Saturday, March 5, the Office of the President of the Republic informs.
According to a press release from the President’s Office, Andersson and Hultqvist will meet the President of the Republic returning to Finland from a visit to the United States Sauli NiinistöPrime Minister Sanna Marinin (sd.) and the Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen (center).
According to the Chancellery, the topics of joint discussion are Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, the changed security situation in Europe and co-operation between Finland and Sweden.
The prime ministers will also have a bilateral meeting, as will the defense ministers.
Meetings and participation in NATO meetings
Visits are now frequent, as President Niinistö is currently meeting with the President of the United States in Washington on Friday. Joe Biden. Minister of Defense Kaikkonen will leave for the United States on Monday.
On Friday, the Finnish and Swedish foreign ministers attended a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO was intensifying dialogue with Sweden and Finland. According to Stoltenberg, Finland and Sweden are now participating in all NATO consultations related to the crisis in Ukraine.
NATO security guarantees only apply to members of the Defense Alliance, Stolteberg told Nordic journalists at a post-meeting briefing.
– If Finland and Sweden want to be outside NATO, we will cooperate with them. If they apply for membership I’m sure they can be accepted quickly, ‘s editor Rikhard Husu reports that Stoltenberg found it in Brussels.
The NATO debate has taken on new rounds in both Finland and Sweden since Russia invaded Ukraine.