MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –
President Emmanuel Macron spoke by telephone with Alexander Stubb, President of the Republic of Finland, this Thursday.
The President of the Republic, first of all, presented his condolences to President STUBB and to all the Finnish people for the shooting that occurred in a school near Helsinki on April 2.
On the occasion of this first exchange with President STUBB since his election in February, the President of the Republic expressed his attachment to the Franco-Finnish bilateral relationship.
Reaffirming their determination to provide unwavering long-term support to Ukraine, the two leaders discussed strengthening military support, following the conference in support of Ukraine which took place on February 26 in Paris. The President of the Republic welcomed the security agreement signed by President STUBB on Wednesday April 3, 2024 with Ukraine during his trip to Kiev, emphasizing the importance of concluding such bilateral security agreements, following the commitments made on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 12 and as France did with Ukraine on February 16 of this year.
The two leaders also called for an increase in defense industrial capabilities in Europe and discussed financing options in this regard, whether it be the reorientation of the lending policy of the European Investment Bank, initiative proposed by Finland in which France joined with 13 other member states, or other innovative options, such as a European loan.
Finally, on the occasion of the first anniversary of Finland’s membership in NATO, the two leaders reiterated their desire to work towards deepening EU-NATO cooperation and strengthening the European pillar of the NATO.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.
