“Are you dating because you’re the same age?”

President of New Zealand Jacinda Ardernand its Finnish counterpart, Sanna MarinThis Wednesday in Auckland they announced they were meeting because they were prime ministers, not because they were women, rejecting sexist stereotypes.

Responding to a journalist’s question at a press conference about the two leaders being the same age, Ardern and Marin rejected the suggestion and underlined the economic potential between the two countries.

“A lot of people are asking: do you meet because you’re the same age and have a lot in common, politically and otherwise, or can New Zealanders expect agreements between our countries later?” The journalist asked.

Ardern responded by asking former US President Barack Obama and former New Zealand Prime Minister John Key if anyone would ask the same question when they met in the past.

“My first question is, if you’re ever asked if Barack Obama and John Key got together because they were the same age, of course, there’s a higher proportion of men in politics, and that’s true, because two women don’t get together. It’s not just because of their gender,” the New Zealand president said.

A strong business relationship

Ardern said Finland, which exports 199 million New Zealand dollars ($123 million or 119 million euros) to New Zealand, has companies such as Nokia and produces biofuels and even elevators that New Zealand buys.

The president added that New Zealand exports 14 million New Zealand dollars ($11.85 million or 11.44 million euros) to Finland, particularly wine and beef, and that there is “tremendous potential” between the two countries.

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Ismail Arana

Ardern recalled that both countries would benefit from a free trade agreement that the EU and New Zealand concluded negotiations on earlier this year, which still needs to be signed and ratified.

The Finnish prime minister, who is on an official visit to New Zealand between November 29 and December 1, answered the question firmly, saying, “Of course we will meet as prime ministers.”

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Maria-Paz Lopez

Marin announced that he visited New Zealand with a group of businessmen and emphasized that both countries have a lot of opportunities in the fields of technology, which guarantee freedom in this sector.

“I am very concerned about the dependence we now have on authoritarian countries for new technologies, for the digital infrastructure in our societies,” the Finnish prime minister said.

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