Nordic-Baltic Summit and new partnership with Poland
Published
On 27–28 November, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson hosted a summit at Harpsund together with the heads of government of the Nordic and Baltic countries. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also took part and stayed for bilateral talks the following day. On the first day, the leaders issued a joint statement on security cooperation. At the end of the second day, Sweden and Poland signed a new strategic partnership.
Web TV
You can follow the live broadcast or watch the recording on Government.se or the Government Offices YouTube channel.
The countries, which are now all members of NATO, met at Harpsund on Wednesday 27 November to discuss transatlantic relations, security in the Baltic Sea region and long-term support to Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron also participated virtually in part of the meeting.
In the joint declaration that was adopted, the leaders were in agreement that Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security.
At the end of the day, a joint press conference was held with Mr Kristersson, Mr Tusk, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braže.
During the second day, Mr Kristersson held bilateral talks with Mr Tusk, who was invited to the Summit as a special guest. They discussed topics such as the EU agenda ahead of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2025 and current security issues, including continued support to Ukraine. Business representatives from both countries also took part in discussions on strengthening European competitiveness, including with regard to the defence industry and the green and digital transition.
At the end of the day, Mr Kristersson and Mr Tusk signed a new strategic partnership between Sweden and Poland. This partnership includes deepening cooperation on security and defence, continuing joint support to Ukraine and developing the economic cooperation between Sweden and Poland.
Mr Kristersson and Mr Tusk held a joint press conference directly after the signing.
The Summit was held in the final stages of Sweden’s Presidency of the NB8 informal foreign and security policy cooperation format. This was the first time since 2017 that the leaders of the Nordic and Baltic countries met in this format, and the first time that Poland took part.
You can access the press conferences, joint declaration, strategic partnership and more information about the NB8 under ‘Shortcuts’.
Wednesday 27 November
Thursday 28 November
N5 and NB8
In 2024, Sweden will coordinate the informal foreign and security cooperation formats of the Nordic and Baltic countries (NB8) and the Nordic countries (N5).
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