Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles signed a joint statement in Melbourne on 23 October 2026. In it, the two countries agree to deepen their defence cooperation.
— Finland and Australia share a common understanding of how the Indo-Pacific and European security environments are interconnected, Häkkänen said.
According to the Finnish Ministry of Defence, Häkkänen sees the most potential in defence materiel, defence industry and technology development.
On the same visit, Häkkänen met Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, Chief of the Defence Force Admiral Mark Hammond and company representatives. Their talks covered Finnish defence products, regional security and support for Ukraine.
The day before, Häkkänen gave a keynote speech at the Road to Schuman Security & Defence Forum in the Australian Parliament in Canberra. He cited North Korean troops fighting for Russia, and called China a key enabler of the war. He added that Finland supports deeper cooperation with Australia through both the EU and NATO.
— Concrete military support, be it with troops, technology transfers or military-industrial cooperation, between countries that do not share our values, is a risk to all of us, he said.