Kultaranta Talks 2023 started with focus on the geopolitical situation, superpower competition and Finland's security and international position

The Kultaranta Talks, hosted by President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö, started on Sunday 18 June 2023 at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. This year, the discussion event is entitled “Tougher competition, deeper divisions – How will Finland respond to new global challenges?”.

In his opening speech, President Niinistö highlighted Finland’s strengthened security situation. “Through determined work, we have succeeded in strengthening the security of Finland and the Finns and our international position in a situation in which the world around us has become more insecure and unstable. This is no small achievement,” he said.

President Niinistö said that Finland joined the defence alliance NATO, standing strong and unified. “The conditions for joining the alliance were historically favourable for us. In Finland, there was an extensive consensus on the matter. Russia had its attention elsewhere. NATO was ready and willing to welcome us in a rapid schedule. And Sweden was now also ready to move together with us.”

According to the President, it contributed to our rapid accession that we had been making determined long-term efforts to enhance our defence capability and build our NATO compatibility. “We had built the readiness to take action the moment securing Finland’s security so demanded.”

The future of global order

In his speech, the President underlined that Finland and the Western community will continue their strong support for Ukraine, as the future of Ukraine and Europe is being forged in the merciless furnace of war.

“Not only because Ukraine is a sovereign state that has been subjected to a cruel and illegal war of aggression. But also, because the outcome of the war has direct impact on what the future security order in Europe will be like and on what also our position in the world will be,” he said. “Only a sustainable and just peace in Ukraine can lay the foundation for a future in which the rules of international justice are observed and where the big do not consider it their privilege to subjugate the small.”

The President said that the West is used to being the one showing the way, expecting others to follow its example. However, the popularity of the Western model of democracy has declined, and only about a quarter of the world population lives in what we call Western democracies. For example, the attraction of the BRICS group is growing, and 19 countries have expressed their interest in joining the group. If this were to happen, the group would represent more than half of the world’s population.

The President also referred to the relationship between China and the United States, which, according to him, is a big and far-reaching issue. “If it were to seriously exacerbate, or even to evolve into a crisis, it would be disastrous to the whole world. This is the overall picture through which we must navigate, and these are the kind of questions we will also examine at the Kultaranta Talks.”

He pointed out that we also need to talk with those who see the world differently from us. “We cannot consider sharing our worldview a prerequisite for dialogue and cooperation.”

Almost 100 participants from different sectors of society took

After the President had held his speech, it was time for discussion. This year, about a hundred guests from various sectors of society were invited to take part in the Kultaranta Talks. In the first comment to the speech, Prime Minister Sanna Marin highlighted the concern about and the need to discuss Finland’s technological capabilities and competence. According to her, the dependencies that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic raised the question of whether we are sufficiently prepared in the field of technology.

Iikka Korhonen, Head of Research at the Bank of Finland, asked the President of the Republic in which ways Finland, the EU and the West could, for example, make “countries sitting on the fence” and BRICS countries look more in the same direction as the West. According to the President, you can make friends by treating the other party in an equitable manner and by making every effort to understand the background factors from which the different kind of thinking arises.

In her comment, Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko highlighted the need to enhance Nordic cooperation. President Niinistö said that we have close cooperation in many areas, referring to, for example, informal meetings between the prime ministers and ministers of defence and the interior of Finland, Sweden and Norway. According to the President, the aim is to further intensify the Nordic overall cooperation.

On Monday, the discussions will continue at 9.45 am under the title “The new era of geopolitics – Will the world become divided?” The second discussion of the day at 11:30 am will concern Finland as a militarily allied country. In the last discussion on Monday, starting at 2 pm, the topic will be global technology competition and security.

President Niinistö met the media before the Kultaranta Talks started. Photo by Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö opened the Kultaranta Talks on Sunday 18 June 2023 with a speech on the geopolitical situation, superpower competition and Finland's international position. Photo: Matti Porre /The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö opened the Kultaranta Talks on Sunday 18 June 2023 with a speech on the geopolitical situation, superpower competition and Finland's international position. Photo: Matti Porre /The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö opened the Kultaranta Talks on Sunday 18 June 2023 with a speech on the geopolitical situation, superpower competition and Finland's international position. Photo: Matti Porre /The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö opened the Kultaranta Talks on Sunday 18 June 2023 with a speech on the geopolitical situation, superpower competition and Finland's international position. Photo: Matti Porre /The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö opened the Kultaranta Talks on Sunday 18 June 2023 with a speech on the geopolitical situation, superpower competition and Finland's international position. Photo: Matti Porre /The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö opened the Kultaranta Talks on Sunday 18 June 2023 with a speech on the geopolitical situation, superpower competition and Finland's international position. Photo: Matti Porre /The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö opened the Kultaranta Talks on Sunday 18 June 2023 with a speech on the geopolitical situation, superpower competition and Finland's international position. Photo: Matti Porre /The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The event was moderated by journalist Keijo Leppänen. Photo: Matti Porre /The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö opened the Kultaranta Talks 2023 on Sunday 18 June with an address on the global geopolitical situation, great-power competition and Finland's position in the world. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö opened the Kultaranta Talks 2023 on Sunday 18 June with an address on the global geopolitical situation, great-power competition and Finland's position in the world. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö opened the Kultaranta Talks 2023 on Sunday 18 June with an address on the global geopolitical situation, great-power competition and Finland's position in the world. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö opened the Kultaranta Talks 2023 on Sunday 18 June with an address on the global geopolitical situation, great-power competition and Finland's position in the world. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
After President Niinistö's opening address the Kultaranta Talks 2023 continued with a discussion on the global geopolitical situation, great-power competition and Finland's position in the world. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
After President Niinistö's opening address the Kultaranta Talks 2023 continued with a discussion on the global geopolitical situation, great-power competition and Finland's position in the world. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
After President Niinistö's opening address the Kultaranta Talks 2023 continued with a discussion on the global geopolitical situation, great-power competition and Finland's position in the world. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
After President Niinistö's opening address the Kultaranta Talks 2023 continued with a discussion on the global geopolitical situation, great-power competition and Finland's position in the world. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
After President Niinistö's opening address the Kultaranta Talks 2023 continued with a discussion on the global geopolitical situation, great-power competition and Finland's position in the world. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
After President Niinistö's opening address the Kultaranta Talks 2023 continued with a discussion on the global geopolitical situation, great-power competition and Finland's position in the world. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Participants of the Kultaranta Talks arriving at the Presidential Palace on Monday 19 June 2023. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Participants of the Kultaranta Talks arriving at the Presidential Palace on Monday 19 June 2023. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Participants of the Kultaranta Talks arriving at the Presidential Palace on Monday 19 June 2023. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
On Monday morning 19 June, the discussions continued with the topic: "The new era of geopolitics – Will the world become divided? Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
After President Niinistö's opening address the Kultaranta Talks 2023 continued with a discussion on the global geopolitical situation, great-power competition and Finland's position in the world. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
On Monday morning 19 June, the discussions continued with the topic: "The new era of geopolitics – Will the world become divided? Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
On Monday morning 19 June, the event continued on the topic of ”The new era of geopolitics – Will the world become divided?”. The panel consisted of Minister Jaakko Iloniemi; Linda Jakobson, Senior Advisor at the China Office of Finnish Industries and Professor Liisa Laakso, Senior Researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute. The debate was moderated by journalist Jan Andersson. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
On Monday morning 19 June, the event continued on the topic of ”The new era of geopolitics – Will the world become divided?”. The panel consisted of Minister Jaakko Iloniemi; Linda Jakobson, Senior Advisor at the China Office of Finnish Industries and Professor Liisa Laakso, Senior Researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute. The debate was moderated by journalist Jan Andersson. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Professor Liisa Laakso, Senior Researcher at Nordic Africa Institute. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Linda Jakobson, Senior Advisor, China Office of Finnish Industries. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
On Monday morning 19 June, the event continued on the topic of ”The new era of geopolitics – Will the world become divided?”. The panel consisted of Minister Jaakko Iloniemi; Linda Jakobson, Senior Advisor at the China Office of Finnish Industries and Professor Liisa Laakso, Senior Researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute. The debate was moderated by journalist Jan Andersson. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Minister Jaakko Iloniemi. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
On Monday morning 19 June, the event continued on the topic of ”The new era of geopolitics – Will the world become divided?”. The panel consisted of Minister Jaakko Iloniemi; Linda Jakobson, Senior Advisor at the China Office of Finnish Industries and Professor Liisa Laakso, Senior Researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute. The debate was moderated by journalist Jan Andersson. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The theme of the second session on Monday 19 June focused on Finland as a militarily allied country. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The theme of the second session on Monday 19 June focused on Finland as a militarily allied country. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The theme of the second session on Monday 19 June focused on Finland as a militarily allied country. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The theme of the second session on Monday 19 June focused on Finland as a militarily allied country. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The theme of the second session on Monday 19 June focused on Finland as a militarily allied country. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Lieutenant General Kim Jäämeri, Military Representative of Finland to the EU and NATO. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Tapio Juntunen, University Instructor (Security Studies) at Tampere University. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Piritta Asunmaa, Director General of Political Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Matti Pesu, Leading Researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA). Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The theme of the second session on Monday 19 June focused on Finland as a militarily allied country. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The last debate dealt with global technology competition and security. The panellists were (from right to left) Mikko Hyppönen, Chief Research Officer at WithSecure; Tuuli Koivu, Chief Economist at Nordea; Saana Nilsson, Head of Cabinet at Finnish Security and Intelligence Service; and Valtteri Vuorisalo, Professor of Practice, University of Tampere. The discussion was moderated by journalist and podcaster Isak Rautio. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The panel discussion was moderated by journalist and podcaster Isak Rautio. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Valtteri Vuorisalo, Professor of Practice at University of Tampere. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Saana Nilsson, Head of Cabinet at Finnish Security and Intelligence Service. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Tuuli Koivu, Chief Economist at Nordea. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Mikko Hyppönen, Chief Research Officer at WithSecure. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The Kultaranta Talks were exceptionally held in the Presidential Palace in Helsinki due to the renovation of Kultaranta, the President of the Republic of Finland's summer residence in Naantali. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The Kultaranta Talks 2023 concluded with closing remarks by the President of the Republic of Finland. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The Kultaranta Talks 2023 concluded with closing remarks by the President of the Republic of Finland. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The Kultaranta Talks were concluded with closing remarks by the President of the Republic of Finland. Photo: Matti Porre/The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland