The war in Ukraine and the subsequent NATO membership turned a new chapter in Finland’s security policy. Membership of the defence alliance has opened up new opportunities to deepen cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries, especially in the Baltic Sea region. Ever closer defence cooperation, and responding to hybrid influence for example, has become more prominent areas as a new security situation has set in.
On Monday December 18 th , 2023, the online media platform The Ulkopolitist, the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Center Hanaholmen and the think tank Elisabeth Rehn – Bank of Ideas, are hosting a Presidential Election Debate for the January 2024 Finnish Presidential Election that puts the Nordic countries at the heart of the security debate and seeks answers for how the candidates see the role of Nordic cooperation as part of broader foreign and security policy thinking. How will the Nordic fort withstand the storms of the future together?
The presidential election candidates meet in a panel on Nordic issues. The candidates present are Mika Aaltola, Li Andersson, Pekka Haavisto, Jussi Halla-Aho, Olli Rehn and Alexander Stubb. The conversation will be moderated by Annastina Haapasaari, The Ulkopolitist’s editor-in-chief, and Tuomas Lähteenmäki, podcast host.
The event language is primarily Finnish.
Picture; From left to right (image credits in brackets): Mika Aaltola (FIIA), Li Andersson (Laura Kotila/ Prime Minister’s Office), Pekka Haavisto (Ilkka Vuorinen), Jussi Halla-aho (Pirjo Tuominen/ Parliament of Finland), Olli Rehn (Anton Sucksdorff/ ollirehn2024.fi) & Alexander Stubb (Jussi Ratilainen).
