President Medvedev visited Finland

President of the Russian Federation Dmitri Medvedev and Mrs Svetlana Medvedeva made a two-day state visit to Finland on 20-21 April 2009. The visit began with a reception ceremony in front of the Presidential Palace just after noon on Monday 20 April. After the ceremonies, President Medvedev and President of the Republic Tarja Halonen conducted bilateral talks at the Presidential Palace. “I am very satisfied with the atmosphere in today’s discussions and the speed with which we got down to business,” said President Halonen at the press conference held after the meeting. “Today we talked about the economy and environmental protection, and also addressed security policy to a certain extent." Other topics of discussion included energy issues, work permits and border formalities between the countries. The joint press conference held by the Presidents can be viewed as a video recording

President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia and President Halonen at the Presidential Palace. Copyright © Office of the President of the Republic of Finland

President Halonen stated that for Finland the Baltic Sea gas pipeline project is first and foremost an ecological issue. “If the pipeline can be built in an ecologically safe manner, we believe that it is a good solution. These studies are still in progress," said the President. According to Halonen, more information about the schedule will be available after the Prime Ministers’ meeting next June.

Russia wants to develop the gas pipeline project

President Medvedev emphasised that Russia wants to develop the gas pipeline project. “We are certain that it will reinforce Europe’s energy security and create new transit routes. We will continue this work while taking into consideration all matters related to nature conservation.” According to President Medvedev, the discussions proceeded in a constructive manner. “I would like to thank Finland for the positive spirit in which the matters were handled.”

According to President Halonen, good administration and opportunities to speed up border formalities were also topics of discussion. President Medvedev recalled an example from his personal life: “I crossed the Finnish border for ten years ago as an ordinary citizen, and it is not an easy or pleasant experience because it takes so long.”

President Halonen mentioned that discussions will continue at the state dinner in the evening and in Porvoo on Tuesday. “I have also accepted President Medvedev's invitation to visit Russia."

On Monday, President Medvedev also visited Parliament and gave a speech at the University of Helsinki.

On the morning of Tuesday, 21 April, President Medvedev laid a wreath at Hietaniemi Cemetery. Following this, President Medvedev and President Halonen travelled to Porvoo, where they toured the Cathedral with the city management of Porvoo.

Joint press conference as a video recording

Speech by President Halonen at a banquet in honour of President of Russia