Sweden and Finland are close to each other and have a long common history. Alexander Stubb became president of Finland on March 1 and it is tradition for the president to make his first official state visit to Sweden.
The visit started with a ceremony at Stockholm Palace. Then the president was in the Riksdag, and gave a speech. In the afternoon he had a meeting with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Finland became a member of the defense alliance NATO recently, just like Sweden. At a press conference, President Stubb said that membership in NATO began a completely new phase in the relationship between Finland and Sweden. The countries’ armed forces must cooperate more.
The President said that the visit in Sweden is emotional, because it is Finland’s closest neighbour. And he has met many old friends and colleagues today. But it’s not just a nice meeting, but a meeting to plan how Finland and Sweden will work together in the new situation the world is in.
– Have we come here just to discuss pleasant things and pay tribute to our endless friendship? No, we have also come here to plan to work together. And my thesis today is actually that we live in a new geopolitical world.
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