Jacinda Ardern asked if she met Finland PM because of similar age, gender
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hit back at a reporter when he asked if she and Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin met because they share similarities related to age and coherent political journeys in their respective countries.
Ardern retorted by pointing out if her predecessor John Key and former US President Barack Obama ever faced similar questions because both of them were of similar age at the bilateral moments of cooperation between the US and New Zealand during their tenures.
“We of course have a higher proportion of men in politics, it’s reality,” Ardern said during a joint presser she addressed along with Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Auckland during the latter’s visit to New Zealand.
“Because two women meet, it’s not simply because of their gender,” Ardern said, adding that Finland exports $199 million worth of goods and services into New Zealand.
She said New Zealand exported $14 million of goods a year to Finland and there was huge potential for future opportunities that the two leaders discussed.
“The focus of our conversation is what more we could do together in support of other women in other countries who are facing dire circumstances, where we see the most basic of human rights being repressed and violated,” Ardern said.
Finland shares a 1300-kilometre border with Russia. Following the beginning of conflict between Russia and Ukraine after the former announced ‘special military operations’ in Ukraine in February this year, Finland as well as its neighbour Sweden have applied to join NATO.
Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin, while responding to the queries from journalists if the accusations of her being the “partying Prime Minister” were true, said that she has more important issues that warrant her attention. The tag became Marin’s part of political identity after visuals of her dancing and singing with friends at a private party surfaced on social media earlier this year.
“So I had a couple of free days during the summer,” Marin said.
“You are free to discuss and write what you want, but I’m focusing on the issues that are in our program,” she added.
