Nordic heads of state mark independence centenary

The cohesion of the Nordic region was highlighted on Thursday when heads of state of all five Nordic countries met in Helsinki to celebrate the centenary of Finnish independence.

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Icelandic President Gudni Johannesson with his spouse Eliza Reid, were hosted by President Sauli Niinistö and first landy Jenni Haukio.

Thousands of citizens and tourists crowded midday at the waterfront to greet the distinguished guests, who appeared on a balcony of the Helsinki City Hall before attending a lunch hosted by Helsinki's incoming mayor Jan Vapaavuori.

In his address at the Hanasaari (Hanaholmen) Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre, Niinistö said the Nordic identity dates back to the eleventh century when Christianity reached the area "in its western form." He said that "in the name of the Nordic way, a lot more can be done for the world."

The five Nordic countries formed a passport and labor union as early as in 1950s, well before the European Union introduced such openness in the rest of Europe.

Nowadays, citizens of the Nordic countries can choose to live freely in any of the five countries, and the social welfare systems are widely uniform throughout the area.

Finland and Sweden had a long joint history as one country until Sweden lost Finland to Russia in a war in 1809. Finland became an autonomous grand duchy under Russia until declaring independence in 1917.