Jacinda Ardern’s doll says it all. New Zealand’s prime minister couldn’t hide her smile on Wednesday when she was asked by a reporter during her press conference with her Finnish counterpart, Sanna Marin.
This question and answer session was held in Auckland, New Zealand, as part of a visit by Sanna Marin on advocacy issues and climate policy in particular.
But the question from Joey Dwyer, a reporter for New Zealand radio station Newstalk ZB, was not really about these issues.
“Many people will wonder if you two only met because you are the same age and have a lot in common, like the year you entered politics, or if we can expect to see more deals between our two countries in the future,” he told the two Prime Ministers.
Jacinda Ardern is 42 years old and Sanna Marin is 37. They respectively became heads of their governments in 2017 and 2019 and held their first political posts in 2008 and 2012.
“We are prime ministers”
“I wonder if anyone ever asked Barack Obama and John Key if they met because they were the same age,” Jacinda Ardern replied. John Key served as the Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016.
“Of course, there is a higher proportion of men in politics, that’s the reality, if two women meet, it’s not just because of their gender,” Ardern continued.
He then highlighted the economic ties that unite his country and Finland: “it is our job to deepen these relations, whatever our gender.”
“Yes, we meet because we are prime ministers,” added his Finnish counterpart. It is the first time that a Finnish prime minister has visited New Zealand and Australia, where Sanna Marin will meet her counterpart Anthony Albanese on Friday, the Finnish government said in a statement.
Source: BFM TV
