(13 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Stockholm, Sweden – 13 May 2024
1. Joint news conference attended by Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Iceland Bjarni Benediktsson
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden:
"We signed the Joint Nordic Declaration on Competitiveness and Security, which has to focus on emerging technologies, green transition, growing defense industries."
3. Støre, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Kristersson
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor:
"There’s one major difference to the last time I attended this gathering. Now we are all allies within NATO as you already mentioned. This is a direct consequence of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the return of Russian imperialism to Europe. Finnish and Swedish membership in the alliance strengthens NATO and is a security gain for all of us."
5. Reporter asking a question
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark:
"They are fighting at the moment. It’s not going in the right direction. And then the main reason for the losses on the Ukraine side now is because of lack of air defense. And we have the systems. So if we have only one wish, all of us, it should be to deliver air defense systems as quickly as possible."
7. Pan from Frederiksen and Orpo to Scholz and Kristersson
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor:
"We have to make it happen that this most progressive technology is the typical one very soon in Europe, and that we are not falling behind other continents, especially not because we have the most progressive technology companies in telecommunication, in Europe. And this is these two Scandinavian companies which are so successful, not just in Europe but also globally."
9. Exterior of Ericsson
10. Scholz shaking hands with Kristersson
11. Scholz shaking hands with Frederiksen, Støre, Orpo and Benediktsson
12. Scholz and the prime ministers of five Nordic countries posing for photo
13. Sign reading (English): "Welcome to Ericsson"
14. Various of Nordic summit attendees and CEO of Ericsson Börje Ekholm posing for photo
STORYLINE:
The prime ministers of five Nordic countries pledged on Monday to bolster their collaborative efforts in the cybersecurity and defense sectors amid escalating Russian aggression in Ukraine during the Nordic Summit in Stockholm.
This summit marked the first gathering since all five Nordic countries became members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who participated in the summit, celebrated this milestone.
"This is a direct consequence of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the return of Russian imperialism to Europe," said Scholz.
Among the leaders participating in the summit were Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo of Finland, and Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson of Iceland.
Part of their discussions was the expansion of Europe’s 5G mobile network, with Scholz highlighting the pivotal role that Scandinavian telecommunications giants such as Ericsson and Nokia could play in this endeavor.
Scholz and the prime ministers made a visit to Ericsson and discussed security policy issues, including hybrid threats and civil preparedness.
AP video by Chisato Tanaka
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