Foreign minister Soini's opening address in a press conference in Hanasaari

Foreign Minister Soini’s meeting with Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Wallström on 6 September 2017.

Discussion in a constructive spirit; active contacts with Margot (most recently in London on 4 September)

Topics of the meeting:

1. Deepening of foreign and security policy cooperation between Finland and Sweden
2. Russia, the situation in the Baltic Sea and upcoming military exercises
3. Cooperation between Finland and Sweden related to the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).
4. The situation in North Korea and Sweden’s statement concerning the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) were also briefly handled.

Cooperation develops in foreign and security policy

Background to the Hanalys Conference:

• Finland and Sweden have a common history, their security environment, deep mutual integration of business and industry, rapid development of defence cooperation: this requires that the countries also have shared interests in foreign policy.

I hope that this Conference will become a regular, annual event. It would also facilitate social dialogue between Finland and Sweden.

Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)

• Now that concrete steps are taken in the development of the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy, it is important that Finland and Sweden intensify their mutual dialogue. Regular dialogue already takes place with Russia.

Hybrid issues

• I invited the Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats to promote EU and NATO cooperation in assessing vulnerabilities to hybrid threats in the Baltic Sea region. This is a joint initiative with Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallström.

Established cooperation continues

• NATO partnership (29+2), arms control, mediation and the UN

Operative collaboration

• Joint visit: the first joint visit will be made to Macedonia in October
• Exchange of officials: exchanges will be continued, they provide concrete experiences and fresh perspectives to the cooperation. The first Swedish exchange diplomat started on 4 September at the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and a Finnish diplomat will continue the exchange on 11 September in Stockholm.