Finnish Defense Minister Takes Paternity Leave as Country Prepares to Join NATO
- Antti Kaikkonen takes two months off work to care for his baby
- Two holdouts are yet to ratify Finnish and Swedish NATO entry
Antti Kaikkonen
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Finland has appointed a new defense minister to steer the process to join NATO as Antti Kaikkonen went on parental leave to care for his six-month-old baby.
Kaikkonen may be the first male minister to take family leave in Finland, where several women have done so in recent years. In the Nordic country, it’s routine practice for cabinet members to resign for the duration of their absence and resume their ministerial duties afterward.