Bart 
De Wever

I had the pleasure of welcoming the President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander Stubb. Belgium and Finland are close partners in the European Union and NATO, and our discussions confirmed our shared determination to strengthen Europe’s security, resilience and strategic autonomy.

Our meeting focused on the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. I thanked President Stubb for Finland’s unwavering support and its leadership in keeping the West united behind Ukraine. Belgium will continue to stand firmly with Ukraine and will work with Finland and our European partners to ensure lasting peace and accountability.

We also explored opportunities to deepen our bilateral cooperation. Our countries are like-minded on many key priorities: defence and civil preparedness, offshore and nuclear energy, and strategic sectors such as semiconductors, maritime technologies and critical raw materials. From imec and VTT cooperation on next-generation chips to Finnish and Belgian excellence in defence industries: our partnership is rich with potential.

Belgium and Finland will continue to work to defend our values and strengthen Europe’s role on the global stage.