Dave Rowland/Getty Images
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin (left) and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (right) pose together during their first official meeting in Auckland November 30, 2022.
INTERNATIONAL – Could we have asked two men the same question? Coming from Auckland, New Zealand, the first meeting between Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was disrupted by an inappropriate question from a journalist to the two leaders.
The visit of Sanna Marin, 37, to the southwest Pacific island nation this Wednesday, November 30, has raised many questions about the real rationale for this meeting with her local counterpart, the first of its kind for a Finnish prime minister. Questions materialized through the remark of a journalist from New Zealand radio station Newstalk ZB.
“Many people will wonder if you two met just because you are the same age and have a lot in common like the year you entered politics or if we can expect further agreements between our two countries the future,” the journalist begins, before being quickly interrupted by Jacinda Ardern. The New Zealand Prime Minister then asks the journalist, “if anyone has ever asked Barack Obama and John Key (Prime Minister of New Zealand between 2008 and 2016) if they met because they were the same age?”. A rhetorical question that will of course remain unanswered.
Watch New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern take apart this reporter’s question during a joint press conference with Fin… https://t.co/bJhIbehS9N
— SBS News (@SBSNews)
Full killshot of Jacinda Ardern in joint presser with Sanna Marin when asked if they are dating because… https://t.co/ra1CeGZ7vp
– Ben McKay (@benmackey)
Faced with the misogynist remark, the 42-year-old New Zealand leader added: “Of course we have a larger proportion of men in politics, that’s the reality. And when two women meet, it’s not just because of their gender.
Convinced of the merits of this meeting, Jacinda Ardern believes it is “an opportunity… [de] to really take advantage of the economic opportunities between our two countries,” stressing that it is her job to advance these trade relations “regardless of our gender”. Sanna Marin then allows himself to add that this meeting is taking place “because we are prime ministers”, full stop.
Topics that bring people together
After these clarifications for the New Zealand journalist, the two leaders did not miss the slightest opportunity to highlight the various similarities that bind Finland and New Zealand, starting with their “strong commitment” in support of Ukraine, which since February has shared the same observation of a world order that under pressure due to the invasion of the country by its Russian neighbour.
Sanna Marin also took the opportunity to talk about the fate of Iranian women since the protest movements emerged in Iran in mid-September. “I’m also worried about the situation in Iran right now… Brave women who are protesting against laws and the security situation of women in Iran, we have to tackle these kinds of issues together,” she said during this press conference, which brought together the global economic Slowdown and the cost of living were the order of the day.
This new attack is not the first for Finnish head of state Sanna Marin, who has been abused in Finland for several months because pictures of the Finnish head of state were circulated in one of the national press during a private party. On November 4, the SPD leader was also completely acquitted in this case, where despite numerous allegations of misconduct, she still had to carry out a drug test to “eliminate suspicion”.
See also on The HuffPost:
You cannot view this content because you have rejected the cookies associated with third-party content. If you want to view this content, you can change your choices.