EU defence discussed by Prime Minister Sipilä and the EU’s High Representative Federica Mogherini
Today, 15 June, in Oulu, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä held discussions with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini about the way forward for the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy. High Representative Mogherini thanked Finland for its active involvement in the EU’s defence cooperation and in the further development of this cooperation. The European Council will discuss defence cooperation next week in Brussels.
“Finland’s policy is an ambitious one, and we hope that progress can also be made in terms of permanent structured cooperation. The discussions with High Representative Mogherini were useful, and I highlighted some of our priority projects, such as space cooperation and expertise in countering hybrid threats. I hope that very soon we can build a considerable number of partnerships around our projects,” said Prime Minister Sipilä.
“I also informed High Representative Mogherini about my telephone conversation on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron. President Macron, too, feels that developing the EU’s common defence is extremely important. It is essential that Finland, being closely involved in the development of the EU’s defence policy, maintains an effective and close dialogue with France,” said Sipilä.
Also present at the lunch, hosted by Prime Minister Sipilä, were Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini, Commissioner Karmenu Vella, who is responsible for the Arctic policy of the EU, and Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland. The lunch discussions also focused on Arctic policy, Russia and the United States.
In Oulu, Prime Minister Sipilä also attended another event, ‘A Sustainable Arctic – Innovative Approaches’, aimed at adding momentum to the dialogue on the EU’s Arctic policy, as part of international relations, and to the development of the Arctic regions of the EU.
Inquiries: Riikka Pakarinen, Special Adviser (EU Affairs), tel. +358 40 580 0833 and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister’s Office