Prime Minister Orpo: “Deepening cooperation will help secure the future of Europe”
Prime Minister Orpo represented Finland at the eighth summit of the European Political Community (EPC) in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Monday 4 May. The theme of the summit was building the future through unity and stability in Europe.
“This meeting of the European Political Community was a very useful opportunity to meet with leaders of European countries and openly discuss our challenges. The geopolitical situation is leading us towards closer cooperation here in Europe. Canada is also interested in deepening and broadening cooperation with European countries, as demonstrated by the fact that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was an invited guest at the summit,” said Prime Minister Orpo.
As usual, the summit consisted of plenary sessions and discussions in small groups. Prime Minister Orpo and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama chaired the small group discussion on strengthening connectivity and economic security in context of the green transition.
“In the discussion, I emphasised the need to break free from our dependence on fossil fuels. Recent supply chain disruptions caused by the war in Iran are a good example of why this is so important. I noted that breaking free from fossil fuels is not only necessary but also possible: in Finland, 95 per cent of our electricity is fossil-free. I also pointed out that while we explore ways to safeguard the European economy, we can’t lose sight of the need for global trade,” said Prime Minister Orpo.
“Along with this, I stressed that the threat posed by Russia to Europe is permanent. It will persist even if the war of aggression against Ukraine comes to an end. We need to continue to increase pressure on Russia,” Prime Minister Orpo said.
In connection with the summit, Prime Minister Orpo also had bilateral meetings with President of Moldova Maia Sandu and Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti. He also attended a meeting of countries supporting Ukraine and met separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Prime Minister Orpo speaks with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
The day before the EPC summit, Prime Minister Orpo and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met for discussions on Ukraine’s path towards EU membership.
“I told President Zelenskyy that Finland is doing its best to speed up Ukraine’s accession to the EU family. It is important for the EU to open the first chapters of negotiations with Ukraine quickly so we can move on to the formal negotiations on the actual issues. I acknowledged Ukraine’s success in implementing key reforms despite the war and encouraged it to continue its work, especially on strengthening the rule of law,” said Prime Minister Orpo.
Orpo and Zelenskyy also discussed the growing defence and materiel cooperation between Finland and Ukraine, Finland’s active participation in Ukraine’s reconstruction, Finland’s support for the energy sector, and the international civil defence shelter coalition led jointly by Finland and Ukraine.
“President Zelenskyy proposed that Ukraine and Finland could work more closely together in the drones sector by signing a ‘drone deal’. I found his offer very interesting. We are already engaged in cooperation on drones, but I am convinced that Ukraine has even more to offer Finland,” said Prime Minister Orpo.
Inquiries: Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to the Prime Minister, tel. +358 295 160 978, Minna Kivimäki, State Secretary for EU Affairs, tel. +358 295 160 431 and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister’s Office