President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb met Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Bodø, Norway, from 19 to 20 June 2024. The meeting focused on the deepening cooperation between Finland, Sweden and Norway in the Nordic region of Europe and as members of NATO.
“With Finland and Sweden now members of NATO, the Alliance will have to rethink the defence of the entire Northern European region. As a new member state, we have a lot to learn from Norway”, President Stubb said.
The security situation in the region and the link between the Baltic Sea and the Arctic region were also discussed. “If the Baltic Sea was blocked, Sweden and Norway would be an alternative route for Finland. We discussed a lot about infrastructure, logistics and their development in the Nordic region,” the President said.
President Stubb, Prime Minister Gahr Støre and Prime Minister Kristersson also visited the Norwegian Coast Guard’s vessel KV Svalbard and the Norwegian Joint Headquarters in Reitan.
“We talked about how we will work at the Summit and how we will share the work between us. We found many issues that we can promote together in Washington”, the President concluded.
The meeting was also attended by Finnish Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen, Norwegian Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram and Swedish Minister of Defence Pål Jonson. Defence ministers Häkkänen and Arild Gram signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation between the two countries. The Memorandum of Understanding will provide a framework for defence cooperation between Finland and Norway.
