The King and Queen of Norway have hosted the President of Finland at the Royal Palace.
After several political meetings, President Sauli Niinistö of Finland attended a friendship lunch at the Royal Palace in Oslo, where King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon participated.
Ahead of the lunch, the King, Queen and Crown Prince received the President in an audience.
Both President Niinistö and Norway’s Prime Minister attended a foreign policy seminar at Litteraturhuset under the auspices of the Norwegian Foreign Policy Institute.
In 2012, the King and Queen hosted President Niinistö and Mrs Jenni Haukio for a three-day state visit to Norway. In 2016, King Harald and Queen Sonja undertook their third state visit to Finland; the other two trips were made in 2007 and 1993.
The Scandinavian nations have a close connection and history. Especially in the uncertain times in which we are currently in, Sweden and Finland have chosen to apply for NATO membership. In that connection, the President of Finland visited Norway this week to strengthen the already close ties between the neighbouring countries.
In the past, King Harald has said: “Based on our common Nordic values, Norway and Finland take on a great deal of international responsibility. Our efforts for peace, security, democracy and development are noticed. We are important supporters and close collaborators in the UN and other international organisations.”
Finland and Norway established diplomatic relations in 1917 after Finland’s independence from Russia. The two nations were close to war in the pre-World War II period due to territorial disputes in the northern regions. However, they have been friends and economic partners since the end of World War II. There are around 2,000 Norwegians living in Finland and about 6,600 Finns in Norway.
