Swedes listened carefully to President Alexander Stubb’s security and defense policy statements during the state visit. In some matters, however, Finland should still listen to Sweden, writes HS Scandinavia correspondent Hilla Körkkö.
Cold weather, warm atmosphere. This is how the President of the Republic of Finland could sum it up by Alexander Stubb the Stockholm leg of the first state visit.
King Karle XVI from Kusta there was an invitation to the neighbor already on the same day when Stubb took office on March 1. On Tuesday, the president and his spouse finally arrived.
It was also the first time that the president of NATO-Finland made a state visit to NATO-Sweden.
When the previous president of Finland Sauli Niinistö last traveled to Sweden for a state visit in May 2022, the atmosphere was dominated by the countries’ historic decision to apply for membership of the military alliance.
Finland became a NATO member less than a year later, in April 2023. Sweden had to wait until March.
At the beginning of the year a conversation started on the ground, which, in retrospect, exuded the impatience of waiting. The uncertain security situation in Europe gave rise to a discussion in Sweden about the possibility of war at home.
They talked about preparing for war, for example prime minister Ulf Kristerssonof the Defense Forces commented Micael Bydén and Minister of Civil Defense Carl-Oskar Bohlin.
“Instead of talking about war, prepare for war, because then it won’t happen,” said Stubb in the newspaper Dagens Nyheterin in the interview before his visit.
Stubb was not only referring to Sweden, but to the rhetoric used in Western countries in general recently.
When Finland’s president talks about security and defense policy, Sweden seems to be listening carefully.
In the joint meeting of the Prime Minister of Sweden and the President of the Republic at the press conference Kristersson said that Stubb convinced him that Finland wants to join NATO together with Sweden. from Sweden viewed Finland has taken care of its military preparedness like a big brother.
Still the western neighbor is still ahead of Finland in many measures.
Sustainable industrial investment after another has fled to Sweden. The race is like the hockey world championship, most recently as a loss SSAB’s billion investment, from which the trophy went to Lulaa instead of Raahe.
The state visit also featured the promotion of cooperation between Finnish and Swedish companies in order to strengthen the countries’ global competitiveness and speed up the green transition.
in Stockholm Stubb participated in the seminar with representatives of the local business community.
Later, the president commented that Sweden is “very strong” at least in the energy, mineral and mining sectors. In addition, he said that he had passed on a proposal at the business life seminar that the countries could choose a few sectors and in the future also make export promotion trips together.
“Our reputation in the world at the moment, together with Sweden, is very strong…, we will use it to our advantage,” Stubb said at a press conference organized for the Finnish media.
SSAB wrote recently in its announcement From the Luulaja factory, that Raahe’s conversion to fossil-free is still on the list. Now Finland has to make sure that the atmosphere in the standby state of the fossil-free industry does not get too hot.
You should also listen to Sweden. In matters related to NATO membership, Sweden listened and followed Finnish politicians, but, for example, regarding the green transition, Finland should still follow Sweden’s movements.