More need for Nordic and Baltic cooperation in the future

"There are many good reasons for the Nordic and Baltic States to cooperate between each other, since the countries in question think very much alike," Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva described the background of the NB8 Foreign Minister Meeting of the Nordic and Baltic States, organised in Turku on 16-17 August.

The ministers concluded that there are various areas where cooperation is needed in the Baltic Sea region, concerning economy, politics as well as the environment.  Accordingly, a need for closer and more strategic approach to future cooperation was one of topics that became strongly emphasised during the discussions.

It was noted that the work done within the EU is important, but not always sufficient. In questions concerning the Baltic Sea, more extensive cooperation is needed than just between the Nordic and Baltic States, involving also Germany, Poland and Russia. It also came up that the EU Commission can be expected to increase its interest in the Baltic Sea region.

Currently, there are various forms of cooperation around the Baltic Sea, with some overlapping in operations, though.

The situation in Afghanistan was a topic that was discussed at great length during the meeting. The specific question was whether the countries attending the meeting would participate in the future measures for stabilisation of Afghanistan.

In addition to this, other topics on the agenda included the recent events in the Middle East, Kosovo and Georgia.

This time, the NB8 meeting in Turku was attended by four Foreign Ministers from the Nordic and and the three ministers from the Baltic States. Denmark was represented by the Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

Webcast of the press conference on 17 August

Press release on 10 August