Helsinki, 25 August 2023
Finland and Sweden agreed to intensify their cooperation at a meeting between Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Friday 25 August. Prime Minister Orpo visited Sweden at the invitation of Prime Minister Kristersson for the first time after the appointment of Orpo’s Government. The meeting took place at the Swedish Prime Minister’s summer residence Harpsund.
The Prime Ministers agreed that the Governments of Finland and Sweden would meet next year. The purpose of the joint meeting is to highlight the close relations between the countries in different sectors and to intensify regional cooperation. This is the second time that the ministers of the Finnish and Swedish Governments will meet. The first meeting between the Governments took place in Hämeenlinna on 14 May 2009 in the context of commemorating the Year 1809.
“In a rapidly changing world, the relations between Finland and Sweden are increasingly important. We have centuries of common history, shared values and a similar cultural heritage. Promoting security in Northern Europe and particularly in the Baltic Sea region is of utmost importance to both countries. In the future, we will also engage in close cooperation within NATO,” Prime Minister Orpo said after the meeting.
Following their discussions, Prime Ministers Orpo and Kristersson reiterated their strong support for Ukraine. Both Prime Ministers have met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy within the past week. Prime Minister Orpo visited Ukraine earlier this week.
At Harpsund, the Prime Ministers also discussed bilateral relations between Finland and Sweden, defence cooperation, the overall security situation and other international issues. Topical EU matters, including forests, competitiveness and the green transition, were also on the agenda.
Before today’s meeting, Orpo had met his Swedish counterpart twice this summer: first at the meeting of Nordic Prime Ministers in Iceland and then at the European Council in Brussels.
Source – Finnish Government
Joint meeting between Swedish and Finnish governments
Stockholm, 25 August 2023
The Swedish and Finnish Governments will gather for a joint meeting in Sweden next year. This was conveyed by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo following their meeting at Harpsund on Friday 25th of August.
The aim of the joint meeting between our Governments is to highlight the close ties between our countries in essentially all areas and our shared vision of strong regional cooperation.
Key starting points are our joint engagement in the EU, the new security environment and our two countries’ contribution to NATO.
This will be the second time the two Governments meet in this format. The first joint meeting between the Finnish and Swedish Governments was held on 14 May 2009. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt chaired the joint meeting. The meeting took place in Tavastehus, Finland, in commemoration of the Landmark Year 1809.
Source – Swedish Government