Defense, economic cooperation to be central to Estonian president's visit to Finland

TALLINN - Estonian President Alar Karis' visit to Finland, which begins on Wednesday, focuses on strengthening defense and economic cooperation between the two countries.

On the first day of the visit, the president will visit the Finnish Navy headquarters in Turku and meet with the commander of the Finnish Navy, Rear Adm. Tuomas Tiilikainen. The discussion will focus on maritime defense cooperation in the Baltic Sea region and the protection of critical underwater infrastructure. The head of state will also visit the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant and the Sisu factory in Raasepori, which specializes in armored vehicles, spokespeople for the president in Tallinn said.

On Thursday, the Estonian head of state will meet with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. The meetings will address ongoing support for Ukraine and the current situation in finding a lasting and just solution. They will also discuss transatlantic cooperation and strengthening bilateral relations between Estonia and Finland, particularly in the areas of defense and economic cooperation.

On Thursday morning, the president will meet with Finnish industrialists to discuss direct investments and closer cooperation in various economic sectors. The meeting will be attended by top executives from Ensto, Transmeri Group, Nordea Bank, S-Group, Fortaco Group, Rapala VMC, Paulig Group, Incap, Metsä Group, Elisa, Olvi Group, Valio Eesti and ABB.

In addition, the head of state, led by the president of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, Mart Saarma, will tour the Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Helsinki and attend a reception at the Estonian embassy in Helsinki dedicated to the 107th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.

President Karis will be accompanied on the visit by Cmdr. Ivo Värk, commander of the Estonian Navy.

The head of state will return to Estonia on Thursday evening.