Finland–Sweden relations
 |
|
 Finland |
 Sweden |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic Mission | |
| Embassy of Finland, Stockholm | Embassy of Sweden, Helsinki |
| Envoy | |
| Ambassador Jarmo Viinanen | Ambassador Anders Lidén |
Finland and Sweden share a long history, religion, legal system and economic and social model together. Finland was part of Sweden for almost 700 years from around 1150 until the Finnish War of 1809 that saw Finland becoming an autonomous part of Russia as the Grand Duchy of Finland. Since Finland gained its full independence from Russia in 1917 the two countries have been close partners enjoying a Special Relationship. The number of Finnish-Swedish connections and the quality of cooperation in most areas of the government is unique when compared to other international relations in both countries. Swedish language has an official status in Finland whilst Finns form the largest ethnic minority in Sweden, estimated to be about 675 000.[1]
Since both Finland and Sweden joined European Union in 1995 the EU membership has brought many more issues to further intervals. Relationships are maintained at the highest political level on a regular basis, while interaction between public authorities and civil society is also very strong. New elements of the Special Relationship are the official minority language status that Finnish language received in Sweden, as well as the business integration between the two countries.[2] Both countries are also united by the fact that neither Finland or Sweden have decided to join NATO, whereas all the other Nordic Countries as well as the Baltic States are members of NATO.
Finland has an embassy in Stockholm, Consulate General in Gothenburg and 21 Consulates in Borlänge, Borås, Eskilstuna, Gävle, Haparanda, Halmstad, Karlshamn, Karlskoga, Karlstad, Landskrona, Luleå, Malmö, Norrköping, Oskarshamn, Skellefteå, Sundsvall, Trollhättan, Uppsala, Umeå, Visby and Västerås.[3] Sweden has an embassy in Helsinki, Consulate General in Mariehamn, and 17 Consulates in Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kokkola, Kotka, Kuopio, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Mikkeli, Oulu, Pietarsaari, Pori, Raasepori, Rovaniemi, Tampere, Tornio, Turku and Vaasa.[4]
On a larger scale both Finland and Sweden also share a special relationship between all the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland and Norway).
Country comparison
| Finland |
Sweden | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,474,094 | 9,747,355 |
| Area | 338,424 km2 | 450,295 km2 |
| Population Density | 18/km2 | 21.5/km2 |
| Capital city | Helsinki | Stockholm |
| Largest Cities | Helsinki – 621,863 (1,420,576 Metro) Tampere - 223,035 (389,896 Metro) Turku - 184,123 (318,168 Metro) Oulu - 196,260 (241,106 Metro) Jyväskylä - 135,762 (179,410 Metro) |
Stockholm – 911,989 (2,198,044 Metro) Gothenburg - 541,145 (970,912 Metro) Malmö - 303,873 (664,428 Metro) Uppsala - 140,454 (187,541 Metro) Västerås - 110,877 (142,131 Metro) |
| Government | Parliamentary representative democratic republic | Parliamentary representative democratic constitutional monarchy |
| First Leader | Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg | Eric the Victorious |
| Current Leader | Sauli Niinistö (President)
Juha Sipilä (Prime Minister) |
Carl XVI Gustaf (Monarch)
Stefan Löfven (Prime Minister) |
| Main Language | Finnish and Swedish | Swedish |
| Main Religions | 76.5% Christian 22.1% Non-Religious 1.4% Other |
53% Christian 43% Non-Religious 4% Other |
| GDP (nominal) | US$2.673 trillion | $5.797 trillion |
| GDP (nominal) per capita | US$49,265 | $60,566 |
| GDP (PPP) | $218.3 billion | $418.2 billion |
| GDP (PPP) per capita | US$40,045 | $43,407 |
| Real GDP Growth Rate | -0.6% | 0.9% |
| Military Expenditure | 1.47% of GDP | 1.18% of GDP |
| Military Personnel | 365,000 | 221,163 |
| Labour Force | 2,685,000 | 5,107,000 |
| Mobile Phones | 9,310,000 | 11,194,000 |
History
Viking Period and Swedish Crusades
Contact between Sweden and what is now Finland was considerable even during pre-Christian times—the Vikings were known to Finns both due to their participation in commerce and plundering. There is possible evidence of Viking settlement in the Finnish mainland.[5] The Åland Islands probably had Swedish settlement during the Viking Period.
During the 11th and 12th centuries, Sweden gradually became a unified Christian kingdom. According to the archaeological finds, Christianity first gained a foothold in Finland during the 11th century as well. Later medieval legends describe Swedish attempts to conquer and Christianize Finland by the First Swedish Crusade sometime in the mid-1150s. In the early 13th century, Bishop Thomas became the first bishop of Finland. There were several secular powers who aimed to bring Finland under their rule but it was the Swedish regent, Birger Jarl, who established Swedish rule in Finland through the Second Swedish Crusade, which is most often dated to have happened in 1249.
Middle Ages
Finland gradually became an integrated and important part of Sweden. Finland became known as Österland and its main urban settlement evolved in Turku. Turku was one of the biggest towns in the Kingdom of Sweden, and its population included German merchants and craftsmen. Otherwise the degree of urbanization was very low in medieval Finland. During the 12th and 13th centuries, great numbers of Swedish settlers moved to the southern and north-western coasts of Finland, to the Åland Islands and to the archipelago between Turku and the Åland Islands: in these regions, the Swedish language is widely spoken even today. Swedish came to be the language of the high-status people in many other parts of Finland as well.
In 1362, representatives from Finland were called to participate in the elections for king of Sweden. That year is often held to signify the incorporation of Finland into the kingdom of Sweden. As in the Scandinavian part of the kingdom, a gentry or (lower) nobility consisted of magnates and yeomen who could afford armament for a man and a horse. These were concentrated in the southern part of Finland.
After the Black Death and internal power struggles in Sweden, Queen Margaret I of Denmark united the Nordic countries in the Union of Kalmar in 1397, with the approval of the Swedish nobility. Finland was sometimes involved in these struggles, but in general the 15th century seems to have been a relatively prosperous time, characterized by population growth and economic development. Towards the end of the 15th century, however, the situation on the eastern border was becoming more tense. The Principality of Moscow conquered Novgorod, preparing the way for a unified Russia, and soon tensions arose with Sweden. In 1495–1497, a war between Sweden and Russia was fought. The fortress-town of Viborg stood against a Russian siege: according to a contemporary legend, it was saved by a miracle.
Vasa era and Cudgel War
In 1521 the Kalmar Union collapsed and Gustav Vasa became the King of Sweden. During his rule, the Swedish church was reformed. The state administration underwent extensive reforms and development too, giving it a much stronger grip on the life of local communities—and ability to collect higher taxes. Following the policies of the Reformation, in 1551 Mikael Agricola, bishop of Turku, published his translation of the New Testament into the Finnish language. In 1550 Helsinki was founded by Gustav Vasa under the name of Helsingfors, but remained little more than a fishing village for more than two centuries.
King Gustav Vasa died in 1560 and his crown was passed to his three sons in separate turns. The common people of Finland suffered during this period because of drafts, high taxes, and abuse by military personnel. This resulted in the Cudgel War of 1596–1597, a desperate peasant rebellion, which was suppressed brutally and bloodily. A peace treaty (the Treaty of Teusina) with Russia in 1595 moved the border of Finland further to the east and north, very roughly where the modern border lies.
An important part of the 16th century history of Finland was growth of the area settled by the farming population. The crown encouraged farmers from the province of Savonia to settle the vast wilderness regions in Middle Finland. This was done, and the original Sami population often had to leave. Some of the wilderness settled was traditional hunting and fishing territory of Karelian hunters. During the 1580s, this resulted in a bloody guerrilla warfare between the Finnish settlers and Karelians in some regions, especially in Ostrobothnia.
World War II
During World War II Sweden declared its neutrality, but in the Winter war it declared itself non-belligerent and supported Finland's cause to a certain, but limited, extent. This included over 8,000 Swedish army and air force volunteers. Sweden also accepted and cared for a host of Finnish "war"-children during World War II. After the war Sweden had a clear head-start in the post-war economical development, much due to its neutrality in the war, making the Finnish-Swedish relationship similar to that of Finland and Estonia of today since the 1990s. Since the mid-1990s, the inequalities between Finland and Sweden can be seen as balanced, and the relations between the two countries be seen as equal and good.
It is an old tradition for the first official foreign visit of a new Prime Minister in either country to visit the other. Although in June 2014, then newly elected Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb broke with tradition and used his first official visit abroad to visit Estonia.[6]
In 2014, the two countries announced a special defense partnership between them.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ "Kahdenväliset suhteet Ruotsiin (Bilateral Relations to Sweden)". http://www.finland.se/ (in Finnish). Embassy of Finland, Stockholm. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2015. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Suomesta virallinen vähemmistökieli Ruotsissa (Finnish becomes an official minority language in Sweden)". http://www.kielikello.fi/ (in Finnish). The Institute for the Languages of Finland (KOTUS). 2000. Retrieved 21 February 2015. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Suurlähetystö (Embassy)". http://www.finland.se/ (in Finnish). Embassy of Finland, Stockholm. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2015. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Ambassaden & konsulat (Embassies and Consulates)". http://www.swedenabroad.com/ (in Swedish). Sweden's Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 21 February 2015. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ [Viklund, K. & Gullberg, K. (red.): Från romartid until vikingatid. Pörnullbacken – en järnålderstida bosättning i Österbotten, Vasa, Scriptum, 2002, 264 pages. Series: Acta antiqua Ostrobotniensia, ISSN 0783-6678 ; nr 5, and Studia archaeologica universitatis Umensis, ISSN 1100-7028; nr 15, ISBN 951-8902-91-7.]
- ↑ Stubb Makes First Foreign Visit to Estonia, ERR Estonian Public Broadcasting, 30 June 2014
- ↑ O’DWYER, GERARD (24 January 2014). "Finland, Sweden Eye Non-NATO Defense Partnership". www.defensenews.com. Gannett Government Media Corporation. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
External links
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