Sweden's newly-elected Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson reaffirmed his country's commitment to joining the Nato alliance at the same time as Finland during his first official visit to Helsinki.
"The trilateral agreement between Finland and Sweden and Türkiye is valid and we are already committed to fulfil our obligations according to that agreement and that we do it firmly and we do it as rapidly as is possible," he stated.
Kristersson made the comments at a joint press conference held with Finnish premier Sanna Marin (SDP) on Friday afternoon.
The full press conference can be viewed from the video at the top of this article.
Marin rejected the idea that Finland would join Nato ahead of Sweden if, for example, Turkey refused to ratify the Swedish application.
"It is very important for us, of course, that Finland and Sweden would join Nato hand-in-hand," Marin said. "Nato membership for Finland and Sweden would strengthen the security of our countries as well as the security of the whole of northern Europe."
Prior to the press conference, the two leaders discussed the energy crisis, bilateral relations, Nato membership as well as the war in Ukraine.
"We must ensure that Ukraine will win the war. We will continue our support for Ukraine, the military equipment support, financial support, humanitarian support and making sure that if people are fleeing Ukraine, we will welcome them," Marin said.
Friday's visit to Helsinki marks Prime Minister Kristersson’s first bilateral trip abroad since becoming Swedish premier last week.
According to a long-standing tradition, Finnish and Swedish prime ministers usually meet very shortly after taking office.
Prime Minister Marin’s first visit abroad was also to Sweden.
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