Baltics, British PM in talks amid security tensions

Baltic, Nordic and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron are in Helsinki today to discuss issues including innovation, education and economic growth.

It is the fourth meeting of the prime ministers of the Nordic and Baltic countries (NB8), and the United Kingdom. The first meeting of the ministers was held in London in 2011 on the initiative of the British Prime Minister David Cameron.

"Such informal meeting of prime ministers is dedicated to share ideas with business and academic experts, and to seek for solutions how to tackle challenges that North European economies face," Lithuania's Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius said.

Estonia's Prime Minister Taavi Roivas is set to meet with his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb at the Northern Future Forum.

The two ministers will discuss plans to build a vital gas pipeline connecting the two countries and an LNG terminal in the near future, public broadcasting reports.

It follows after Lithuania launched a LNG terminal earlier this month in an effort to rely less on Russian gas. 

Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb told reporters the freedom of movement of EU citizens is sacrosanct, Reuters reports. It follows Cameron's calls to curb the number of immigrants crossing Britain's borders. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has criticized the plans and said it could alienate the UK, according to Der Spiegel.

Estonia and Finland want to build an LNG terminal to rely less on Russian gas (photo: creative commons)