World order being forged into new shape: Niinistö

President Sauli Niinistö on Sunday said that the global world order is currently being forged into a new shape and held the Russian invasion of Ukraine responsible for increasing the tensions in the global arena.

In his opening remark at the at Kultaranta Talks he also said that many developing countries feel suspicion towards the Western countries and the issue must be taken seriously.

“The global world order is also currently being forged into a new shape. The Russian invasion of Ukraine increased the tensions in the global arena. Russia has been making deliberate efforts to further intensify the resentment felt towards the West in various dimensions,” said the President.

He said that namely, many developing countries feel suspicion towards the Western countries.

Whether deriving from indisputable historical injustices or the feeling of exclusion from international decision-making, this must be taken seriously, he added.

“I would pay special attention to the BRICS group, the attraction of which would seem to be growing. As far as we know, 19 countries have expressed interest in joining the group. If this were to happen, the group would represent significantly more than half of the world’s population,” said Niinistö.

He said that a group of countries called those sitting on the fence has also emerged – some of them big and influential.

“But there are differences between those sitting on the fence: some have their feet dangling on the Ukrainian side of the fence and others on Russian side. With both groups, we should seek dialogue and increased mutual understanding,” said the President.

Terming the relationship between China and the United States as a big and far-reaching issue, he opined that if it were to seriously exacerbate, or even to evolve into a crisis, it would be disastrous to the whole world.

“This is the overall picture through which we must navigate, and these are the kind of questions we will also examine at the Kultaranta Talks,” he said.

He also said that the conditions for Finland´s joining the NATO were historically favourable for the Finns and in Finland, there was an extensive consensus on the matter.

“Russia had its attention elsewhere. NATO was ready and willing to welcome us in a rapid schedule. And Sweden was now also ready to move together with us,” he said.

He also said that Finland has enhanced our security also by deepening the cooperation with key partners, including, first and foremost, the Nordic Countries and the United States.

Niinistö is hosting the two-day Kultaranta Talks begun at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on Sunday.

About a hundred participants from different sectors, including policymakers, researchers, representatives of government, business, civil society organisations are taking part in the talks.