King Harald talks Arctic with Sauli Niinistö
The two countries’s northern regions were high on on the agenda as the Norwegian royal couple this week visited Finland.
«I want to take this opportunity to address an area much discussed these days, an area that offers both significant opportunities for economic growth and innovation and at the same time presents specific challenges from an environmental perspective – the Arctic», Finnish President Sauli Niinistö underlined to his Norwegian guests.
According the President, this is one of the most perspective regions for Finnish-Norwegian cooperation.
«We need more cooperation and joint cross-border action [and] if we concentrate on developing the Northern Scandinavian area together, it will be beneficial for every country,» he stressed in a speech held in the Helsinki premises of Innovation Norway, a Norwegian business development company.
King Harald and Queen Sonja’s three-day state visit to the neighboring country included programs in Helsinki and Oulu, the largest city in northern Finland. The Norwegian delegation included also the country’s ministers of foreign affairs, defense and trade and industry.
Over the last years, cooperation and contacts between the two Nordic countries have strengthened significantly. That especially concerns security and defense issues.
«We have intensified our dialogue on security policy in connection with the worrisome development in our joint neighboring Russia», Niinistö said in his speech delivered at the official dinner.
«When the surrounding world appears more uncertain and unpredictable it is natural to address one’s closest friends for support», the President added.
Finnish-Norwegian relations are made for the future, Niinistö made clear.
«Lets build further on our unique traditions and together show the world what Finnish-Norwegian cooperation can achieve!»
