President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö inspected the Finnish Navy at Russarö and visited the Archipelago National Park at Örö on 2 June 2021.
The sunny day began from Russarö, where President Niinistö got acquainted with current issues of the Navy and the ongoing Ritva 21 exercise, and talked with Defence Forces personnel and conscripts. Ritva 21 is the southern partial exercise of the Defence Forces’ spring 2021 main exercise, involving troops from all branches of the Defence Forces as well as vessels from the Border Guard and the Swedish Navy.
During the inspection, the President viewed, for example, the various live firings during the exercise in the company of General Timo Kivinen, Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces, Rear Admiral Jori Harju, Commander of the Finnish Navy, and Commander Mika Mäkilevo, Chief of Training and Education, Finnish Navy. He was also shown demonstrations of anti-ship missile battery operations and the Finnish Coastal Jaegers in combat.
Entrepreneurship and nature in Örö
From Russarö, the President moved on to Örö on board a newly modernised Hamina class missile boat. The sea voyage lasting slightly more than an hour gave the President plenty of time to get acquainted with the missile boat’s capabilities and to talk with conscripts.
In the Archipelago National Park at Örö, President Niinistö met Erika Strandberg, Municipal Manager of the Municipality of Kimitoön, and Daniel Wilson, Chair of the Municipal Council. They discussed current issues of the municipality and of its area.
President Niinistö also met tourism sector operator Nina Liski-Tirkkonen from Örö and got acquainted with the island’s nature and pasture areas with Henrik Jansson, Director, Parks & Wildlife Finland, and Esko Tainio, Planning Officer, both from Metsähallitus.
Magic night of Örö
To the media that had come to Örö, the President said that the day at Russarö had been impressive and full. “Our security is in good hands. Young generation too, takes it seriously. Finland has every reason to state that we play our part in ensuring our own security.”
The President described the nature of Örö as magnificent, so it is no wonder that people have found their way to the island: “Here people have high ambitions: restoring nature and giving people an opportunity to get familiar with it. And they have clearly succeeded in both tasks.”
The President knows the island from the time when he carried out his conscript service. He reminisced how he had come up with new lyrics to a Finnish song from the 1960s, Urjalan taikayö (Magic Night of Urjala). “Läpi saaren sen ja kautta rantojen, kuuluu hirveä huuto kessujen / Kulit [alokkaat] maihin lyö, siellä santaa syö / se on Öron taikayö” (Through the island and its coasts, rings the terrible roar of sarges / Rookies hit the ground, eating sand / that is the magic night of Örö).
The island of Örö was transferred from the Finnish Defence Forces to Metsähallitus in 2015, at which time it was incorporated into the Archipelago National Park and opened to the public. In addition to featuring historical fortresses and coastal defence attractions, Örö is also one of Southern Finland’s key concentrations of threatened species and habitat types.
The island’s biodiversity is based on its location in the southern outer archipelago, its large size and the fact that it is composed of sand and gravel. Together with long-term wear and tear, these factors have created a wide variety of habitats on Örö, including sunny grassland areas and coastal meadows which are home to a variety of rare plant and butterfly species. In fact, many of the butterflies and plants found on Örö are unique to the island and cannot be found anywhere else in Finland.
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The inspection of the Navy began from Russarö. President Niinistö viewed the live firings of the Ritva 21 exercise from a naval guard tower and the anti-ship missile firings by Rauma class vessels. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic
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The inspection of the Navy began from Russarö. President Niinistö viewed the live firings of the Ritva 21 exercise from a naval guard tower and the anti-ship missile firings by Rauma class vessels. Photo: Combat Camera/The Finnish Defence Forces
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The inspection of the Navy began from Russarö. President Niinistö viewed the live firings of the Ritva 21 exercise from a naval guard tower and the anti-ship missile firings by Rauma class vessels. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic
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The inspection of the Navy began from Russarö. President Niinistö viewed the live firings of the Ritva 21 exercise from a naval guard tower and the anti-ship missile firings by Rauma class vessels. Photo: Combat Camera/The Finnish Defence Forces
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The inspection of the Navy began from Russarö. President Niinistö viewed the live firings of the Ritva 21 exercise from a naval guard tower and the anti-ship missile firings by Rauma class vessels. Photo: Combat Camera/The Finnish Defence Forces
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The inspection of the Navy began from Russarö. President Niinistö viewed the live firings of the Ritva 21 exercise from a naval guard tower and the anti-ship missile firings by Rauma class vessels. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic
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The inspection of the Navy began from Russarö. President Niinistö viewed the live firings of the Ritva 21 exercise from a naval guard tower and the anti-ship missile firings by Rauma class vessels. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic
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The inspection of the Navy began from Russarö. President Niinistö viewed the live firings of the Ritva 21 exercise from a naval guard tower and the anti-ship missile firings by Rauma class vessels. Photo: Combat Camera/The Finnish Defence Forces
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The President followed firings done during the exercise in the company of General Timo Kivinen, Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces, Rear Admiral Jori Harju, Commander of the Finnish Navy, and Commander Mika Mäkilevo, Chief of Training and Education, Finnish Navy. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic
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In the Ritva 21 exercise, President Niinistö viewed anti-ship missile firings by Rauma class vessels. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic
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The inspection of the Navy began from Russarö. President Niinistö viewed the live firings of the Ritva 21 exercise from a naval guard tower and the anti-ship missile firings by Rauma class vessels. Photo: Combat Camera/The Finnish Defence Forces
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The inspection of the Navy began from Russarö. President Niinistö viewed the live firings of the Ritva 21 exercise from a naval guard tower and the anti-ship missile firings by Rauma class vessels. Photo: Combat Camera/The Finnish Defence Forces
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At Örö, President Niinistö got acquainted with the newly modernised Hamina class missile boat PGG Tornio. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic
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At Örö, President Niinistö got acquainted with the newly modernised Hamina class missile boat PGG Tornio. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic
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At Örö, President Niinistö met Erika Strandberg, Municipal Manager of the Municipality of Kimitoön, and Daniel Wilson, Chair of the Municipal Council. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic
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In the Archipelago National Park at Örö, President Niinistö got acquainted with the island's nature and pasture areas with Henrik Jansson, Director, Parks & Wildlife Finland, and Esko Tainio, Planning Officer, both from Metsähallitus. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic
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In the Archipelago National Park at Örö, President Niinistö got acquainted with the island's nature and pasture areas with Henrik Jansson, Director, Parks & Wildlife Finland, and Esko Tainio, Planning Officer, both from Metsähallitus. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic