President Niinistö attends NATO Summit in Madrid - Tasavallan presidentti Sauli Niinistö

President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö travelled to Madrid to attend the NATO Summit held on 28–30 June 2022.

Before the summit, the President had a joint meeting with President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson, facilitated by Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg. As a result of a long meeting and thorough discussions, the countries signed a memorandum which confirms that Türkiye would support the invitation extended to Finland and Sweden to become NATO members at the Madrid Summit.

“Our joint memorandum underscores the commitment of Finland, Sweden and Türkiye to extending their full support against threats to each other’s security. Us becoming NATO Allies will further strengthen this commitment”, noted President Niinistö in his statement after the meeting.

On Wednesday, President Niinistö started his day by meeting King of Spain Felipe VI. He also attended the afternoon session of the Summit, at which not only NATO member states but also Finland, Sweden and Georgia, NATO’s Asia-Pacific partner countries and the EU were represented. Before the afternoon session, NATO issued a declaration inviting Finland and Sweden to become its members. A decision to sign the Accession Protocol was made at the same time.

“For a firm defence of our common values, we need partners beyond the Euro-Atlantic area. What applies to NATO, also applies to a larger community. Together we are stronger”, President Niinistö said in his statement at the summit.

President Niinistö also had several discussions with other heads of state in connection with the Summit. Among others, he met President of Croatia Zoran Milanović, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, and President of France Emmanuel Macron. Together with the Prime Ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland, President Niinistö also gave a media statement in which he noted that Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO accession will further strengthen the Nordic brand.

The day ended with an evening event for heads of state at which the discussions continued with such partners as President of the United States Joe Biden.

The last time President Niinistö participated in a NATO Summit when it was held as a video conference on 25 February 2022. He also attended the NATO Summits in Brussels in 2018, in Warsaw in 2016, in Wales in 2014 and in Chicago in 2012.

President Niinistö attended the NATO Summit in Madrid. Photo: Juhani Kandell/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö met the Turkish President Erdoğan, Swedish Prime Minister Andersson and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg before the NATO summit. The meeting ended with Finland, Sweden and Türkiye signing a trilateral memorandum. Photo: Juhani Kandell/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
The Foreign Ministers of Finland, Sweden and Türkiye ended their meeting by signing a trilateral memorandum on Tuesday, 28 June 2022. Photo: Juhani Kandell/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö held several press meetings during the summit. Photo: Juhani Kandell/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
On Wednesday, President Niinistö started his day by meeting King of Spain Felipe VI. Photo: Juhani Kandell/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö gave doorstep interviews to the media as he arrived at the summit. Photo: Juhani Kandell/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö and President Marcon in discussion. The topics included the situation in Ukraine. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
A joint meeting with the Swedish Prime Minister Andersson and UK Prime Minister Johnson. Photo: Jouni Mölsä/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
A bilateral discussion between President Niinistö and the Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau before the Summit session. Photo: Ville Hukkanen/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö also had a bilateral discussion with President of Croatia Zoran Milanović. Photo: Ville Hukkanen/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
On Wednesday, President Niinistö attended the NATO Summit’s afternoon session. Photo: Juhani Kandell/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö had discussions with several heads of state before the session. Pictured here is the Australian Prime Minister Albanese. Photo: Ville Hukkanen/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö and President of South Korea Yoon. Photo: Ville Hukkanen/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Good discussions with NATO Secretary General, President of the European Commission and Prime Minister of Norway. Photo: Juhani Kandell/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
President Niinistö and the Prime Ministers of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland gave media statements at the end of Wednesday afternoon’s session. Photo: Juhani Kandell/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Press conference on Wednesday evening 29 June 2022 in connection with the Summit. Photo: Juhani Kandell/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Wednesday evening ended with a shared dinner for the heads of state. Photo: Juhani Kandell/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland