Prime Minister in Finland: We must fend off the threat from Russia once and for all
20.11.2022
Eastern affairs policy, security, defence and regional cooperation were the main topics of talks between Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Helsinki. The current European agenda was also discussed, including energy and economic issues, in particular those related to the threat from Russia and the attack on Ukraine. The Head of the Polish Government also stressed the need for further sanctions against Russia, and added that the whole world was paying for Russian aggression today, when it is Russia that should pay for all its crimes.
Despite the losses due to the current sanctions, Russia is still a great threat
"Sanctions are effective and we must develop them even though they are also affecting our economies," said the Polish Prime Minister after the talks. He pointed to the important role of maintaining a strong position on this issue and the need to explain to everyone the reasons for the current economic crisis. He also thanked the Finnish Prime Minister for her agreement on this issue.
The Head of the Polish Government also pointed to the need to transfer frozen assets to the Russian Federation and Russian oligarchs for the reconstruction of Ukraine. "These measures cannot only be frozen, because frozen active take on value in some cases. We must ensure that these funds are used to rebuild Ukraine and that the Russian government feels the pain that comes with this," he continued.
The meeting of the Prime Ministers took place just before the December European Council. The current agenda of the planned meeting assumes such topics as the war in Ukraine and aid to this country, the economic situation in the European Union and security and defense.
Polish-Finnish relations – security, defence and regional cooperation
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stressed how much we appreciated the cooperation of our two countries, especially on Eastern affairs policy, security and defense. ”United politicians, united societies are the greatest strength of every country. However, the security of our borders is not a local issue, because it has a global dimension”.
Continuing, he pointed out that NATO is the strongest defence alliance in history, due to the solidarity and strength of individual members. "That is why it is so important for Finland and Sweden to join NATO in a short time. We fully support Finland's efforts towards this”, said the Prime Minister. Finland and Sweden are candidates for NATO membership. Our government supports the aspirations of these countries. Poland has agreed to admit both countries to NATO.
