Prime Minister Juha Sipilä (Centre) commented on the results of the US presidential elections in Helsinki on 9 November, 2016.
Prime Minister Juha Sipilä (Centre) has admitted his surprise at the election of Donald Trump as the next President of the United States.
“A change is always also an opportunity. We'll start building a relationship with the new administration immediately,” he said, estimating that the surprising election result could help solve the deadlocked situation in Syria.
Sipilä also underscored the importance of tearing down obstacles to trade and wrapping up the negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Pact (TTIP).
“We at least are still working on [removing obstacles to trade],” he said. “Finland being an export-driven country, it's extremely important that obstacles to trade are torn down and, even though the free trade negotiations have faced some headwinds also here in Europe, that the deal is pushed over the finish line.”
Trump’s victory, he said, is unlikely to have an impact on the relations between Finland and Russia. “A change in the relations between Russia and the United States always presents an opportunity. We should seize that opportunity and improve our relations and break through the gridlock in, for example, Syria,” said Sipilä.
The results of the presidential elections are similarly unlikely to have an impact on the security situation in Finland, he added.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT Photo: Mikko Stig – Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi
