The Swedish Embassy in Warsaw explains the meaning of the photo of Prime Minister Donald Tusk with Ulf Kristersson on a boat. “It's a Swedish tradition,” she said. The diplomatic mission reminds that in the past, Angela Merkel, Kofi Annan, Boris Johnson and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, among others, went on a cruise with the Prime Minister of Sweden.
On Thursday, during the informal summit of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8), which takes place in Harpsund, located approximately 120 kilometers from Stockholm, the Prime Minister Donald Tusk published a photo on social media showing him riding a boat with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerssonen.
READ ALSO: Two prime ministers in a boat
The photo published on X was widely commented on. Confederation MP Konrad Berkowicz wrote: “I didn't know that you lived in a boat in the middle of some body of water.”
The Swedish Embassy about the history of this photo
“Did you know that a situation like the one in the photo is a Swedish tradition? When the Swedish Prime Minister receives the highest-ranking guests – presidents and prime ministers – at his official residence in Harpsund, he usually invites them for a ride on a rowing boat called Harpsundsekan,” the embassy explained on X Sweden in Warsaw.
“According to tradition, the Swedish Prime Minister rows. The ride gives the host and guests the opportunity to have a completely private and personal conversation,” it was emphasized.
“The Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, Donald Tusk, is the first official guest to be taken on such a ride by the current Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson. Previously, 'Harpsundsekan' passengers included Angela Merkel, Kofi Annan, Boris Johnson, and Aleksander Kwaśniewski,” it added.
Strategic Partnership Agreement
On Thursday, the prime ministers of Poland and Sweden also signed a new agreement on the strategic partnership of both countries.
As Kristersson pointed out, the new agreement with Poland makes the ties between the two countries stronger than ever before. – Poland's security is Sweden's security – he emphasized at a joint press conference.
The Swedish government's announcement indicated that strategic partnership means strengthening ties primarily in the field of economic cooperation, including competitiveness, as well as security and Ukraine.
Within this first area, Warsaw and Stockholm plan to organize a Polish-Swedish business summit – first next year in Sweden, and then in Poland. “The summit will focus in particular on supporting Ukrainian companies and discussing cooperation in the field of innovation,” it was noted.
Main photo source: X/donaldtusk