European issues were at the centre of discussions Finnish President Tarja Halonen held with German President Horst Köhler and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in Berlin on Wednesday.
Describing discussions that she held concerning Russia, Halonen said that she saw the EU as a fleet of ships at sea. The president said that it is important that the ships of the EU move together in the same direction.
She added that Finland hopes that the large countries of the EU would not overemphasise their bilateral relations with Russia. Halonen described German-Russian relations as special.
There is an ongoing debate in Germany about the nature of the country’s ties with Russia. Opposition politicians have said that Schröder’s government does not show sufficient concern over efforts by President Vladimir Putin to concentrate power, or on the direction of its policy toward Chechnya.
Halonen and Schröder also discussed the structures and timetables of EU Security Policy.
The Finnish President told Finnish reporters that there was no talk of anything as "radical" as the merging of the operations of the EU and NATO.
She also said that Schröder had expressed open appreciation toward the Finnish way of thinking in EU questions.
Halonen and Köhler met for the first time since the German President took office. Halonen noted that she knows Köhler from previous international gatherings and she praised his expertise.
On Tuesday Halonen accepted the annual award of the Grameen Foundation, which fights poverty in the Third World.
