Stronger EU spells global peace: Niinistö

President Sauli Niinistö on Tuesday emphasised the necessity for a stronger European Union to ensure global peace and freedom.

“We need a stronger European Union that fights for peace and freedom,” Niinistö told a joint press conference after a meeting with his Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović in Zagreb.

The EU and security were the two main topics in the talks between the presidents where Niinistö hinted at including more like-minded nations in the European bloc, said an official press release.

Both the heads of state also reiterated their commitments to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the future.

Niinistö said Finland strongly supports the EU membership process for the Baltic countries and maintains the same for Croatia. He said working for the Balkans alone is not enough, working for security and prosperity of the EU is important, too.

The Finnish president also said that he was pleased with the interest of the Croatian president in cooperation for protecting the Arctic.

“The Arctic is a global issue. If we lose the Arctic, we will lose the whole world,” he said underscoring the need to reduce carbon emissions.

Niinistö will also meet with the speaker and the prime minister of Croatia during his three-day visit.