The Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson and the Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist will visit Finland on Saturday, March 5, says the Office of the President of the Republic on Friday night.
Andersson and Hultqvist meet with the President of Finland Sauli NiinistöPrime minister Sanna Marin (SDP) and the Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen (Cen) during the visit.
The statement stated that the discussions included Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the impact on the security situation in Europe and the continuation of co-operation between Finland and Sweden.
Prime Ministers Marin and Andersson will also hold a bilateral dialogue, and Defense Ministers Kaikkonen and Hultqvist.
Finland and Sweden will participate in the NATO meeting
The announcement of the visit will be in the midst of the lively diplomatic activity of Finnish politicians, and President Niinistö will meet with his American counterpart in Washington DC on Friday. Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Kaikkonen announced plans to travel to the United States on Monday.
In addition, both Finnish and Swedish foreign ministers attended a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Friday to discuss Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
After the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO would do "strengthen our coordination and information exchange with Finland and Sweden"adding that both Nordic countries are now involved in all NATO negotiations on the crisis in Ukraine.
However, the military alliance’s security guarantees only apply to NATO members, Stolteberg reminded reporters at a post-meeting briefing.
The debate on NATO membership has taken on a new dimension in both Finland and Sweden since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to a poll published by Yle on Monday, the majority of respondents were in favor of Finland applying for NATO – for the first time ever.
News agency Reuters reported Russia’s attack on Ukraine on Friday will have a similar effect in Sweden, where a majority of Swedes were also in favor of joining the alliance, according to a poll.
Source: The Nordic Page
