Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M) and Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) visited Helsinki today and met with Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen. According to the Finnish Ministry of Defense, the ministers are discussing current foreign policy, security policy, and defense policy issues, such as NATO, Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, and the crisis in the Middle East, as well as bilateral issues.

– Sweden is Finland's closest partner. Our cooperation is extensive and covers all areas of society. It is important to meet our colleagues and discuss current issues, says Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen to the Finnish Ministry of Defense.

According to the Government Offices on November 7, the purpose of the visit is to discuss issues that can promote the already strong bilateral cooperation between the countries. In addition to the four ministers, representatives from each minister's department or ministry also participate.

– The security situation in the Baltic Sea region has deteriorated. Sweden is a significant defense cooperation partner for Finland and soon also a NATO ally. We want to pursue increasingly closer cooperation in foreign and security policy, says Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen.

Links:

Government Offices press release
Finnish Ministry of Defense press release