President calls for cooperation on European security

President Sauli Niinistö on Saturday pledged that Finland will continue to do its share for European security.

Delivering a keynoted speech at the second day of the annual Lennart Meri Conference on foreign and security policy issues in Tallinn, Niinistö said, "Finland is steadfast in defending the principles underlying European security."

Finland wants to send a strong signal that it takes security very seriously, the President added.

"The EU is hardly a true union if it does not play its part in ensuring the security of its own citizens," Niinistö noted.

"There is a great deal we can do together under the banner of protecting Europe. The public has expectations in the security field," he added, referring to attempts this year to create the EU as a security community.

Finland fully support the development of an agreement on permanent structured cooperation in the field of defense within the EU, Niinistö said.

He also stressed the necessity for genuine engagement on arms control and confidence-building between the United States and Russia.

Moreover, Niinistö highlighted the role of arctic cooperation for regional security as Finland succeeded the United States in May to take the presidency of the Arctic Council, which consists eight members: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.