prime minister Sanna Marin (SDP) will visit Berlin next week at the invitation of the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The government office announced in a press release that Marin will attend a meeting at the Schloss Meseberg castle retreat near Berlin on Tuesday, May 3rd.
The Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson will also take part in the event and discussions are expected to focus on the changed security situation in Europe.
Finland and Sweden have cooperated very closely since the Russian occupation of Ukraine, and the question of the Nordic countries’ possible accession to NATO is high on the political agenda in both countries.
Earlier on Friday, the foreign minister Pekka Haavisto (Green) met his Swedish counterpart Ann Linde In Helsinki.
In a joint press conference, Haavisto reiterated his hope that the Nordic countries could follow the same timetable for applying for NATO membership.
Minister Linden answered a question from the journalist on security guarantees in the interim before a possible application for membership was ratified. Minister Linden emphasized the close co-operation between Finland and Sweden, and Haavisto said that NATO would ensure that the process proceeded as smoothly as possible.
If one or both countries intend to apply for NATO membership, all 30 current member states will have to ratify the applications, which can take 4-12 months.
Source: The Nordic Page