Marin, Sánchez discuss Ukraine situation, bilateral ties

Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Wednesday met with her Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez in Madrid and discussed various issues including the Ukraine situation.

They also discussed about strengthening their countries’ economic relations and cooperation on a number of EU issues, said an official press release.

“The current security situation in Europe is cause for concern. Ukraine has strong support from the EU. As we stated at the December European Council, any further military aggression by Russia against Ukraine would have massive consequences and severe costs,” Marin said at a joint press conference after the meeting.

Pointing out the bilateral ties on various sectors, they observed that with the exception of a downturn in 2020 due to the pandemic, Finland’s exports to Spain have been growing.

The EU recovery package is opening up new opportunities for Finland to intensify commercial cooperation in Spain, particularly in the spheres of digitalisation and the green transition.

“Finland and Spain think alike in many areas. We have good possibilities to cooperate both on EU affairs and bilaterally,” said Marin.

Spain and Finland have similar views on developing the EU’s common foreign, security and defence policy, deepening the single market, promoting free trade and managing migration.

Finland and Spain also place a great deal of importance on the EU’s shared values, such as the rule of law, human rights and gender equality. Both countries want the EU to have a stronger united voice in global issues.

The prime ministers discussed the EU-Africa summit to be held in February and the two March European Councils, which will focus on the economy and security.

Their discussion also addressed the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and questions related to Europe’s energy supply. The prime ministers spoke for a long time about the security situation in Europe, the press release added.