Prime Minister Orpo in Stockholm: “Nordic’s role increasingly important”

Prime Minister Orpo in Stockholm: "Nordic's role increasingly important"

According to Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, the Nordic countries have an increasingly important role in the current security policy situation. Prime Minister Orpo attended the meeting of the Nordic prime ministers and heads of government and the Nordic Council's plenary session in Stockholm on 28 October.

"The war of aggression in Ukraine and Russia's reckless behaviour in the Baltic Sea region have turned our area into a hotspot. This has altered the way we operate in the NATO, EU and Nordic contexts. The small Nordic countries know very well that cooperation is needed to make us stronger," Prime Minister Orpo said at the meeting of the Nordic prime ministers and heads of government in Stockholm.

One indication of the increasingly important role of the Nordic and Baltic Sea region was that President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen attended the meeting of the Nordic prime ministers and heads of government for the first time as a guest and speaker.
Besides support for Ukraine, the topics discussed by the prime ministers and heads of government and European Commission's President included drone defence, Russia's shadow fleet and questions related security in the EU's eastern flank. Some of the discussions focused on competitiveness.

"We must be competitive in order to be able to finance the investments required for strengthening security," Orpo said.

Nordic Council's 77th plenary session: Together

The theme of the Nordic Council's 77th plenary session was 'The Nordics together - Nordic value and cohesion in troubled times'. The plenary session was attended by the MPs on the Nordic Council, Nordic prime ministers and heads of government, and other ministers. The keynote speaker was President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Of the Prime Ministers, Petteri Orpo was the first to speak.

"Finland's and Sweden's NATO membership has further strengthened security and defence cooperation in the Nordic and Baltic Sea region. Through Nordic cooperation we can improve our citizens' security in the rapidly changing operating environment," Prime Minister Orpo said.

Finnish-Ålandic Presidency

During their Nordic Council Presidency in 2025, Finland and Åland have promoted security in the Nordic region. The focus has been on further improving the resilience of the Nordic countries and promoting comprehensive and extensive preparedness for various kinds of civilian crises and hybrid threats. The priorities for the Presidency also include competitiveness and children and young people.

At today's meeting the Nordic prime ministers and heads of government issued a declaration highlighting the themes of the Presidency: cooperation in promoting security and improving competitiveness.

Inquiries: Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to Prime Minister Orpo, tel. +358 295 160 978, Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU and International Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister's Office and Ann-Sofie Stude, Chief of the Secretariat for Nordic Cooperation, tel. +358 295 350 531, Ministry for Foreign Affairs