(Corrects spelling in headline to say "threat", not "treat")
HELSINKI, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Russia is the most significant, direct and long-term threat to security, peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Lithuania said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
Leaders of the eight European Union countries met in Helsinki to discuss defence of the EU's eastern flank.
(Reporting by Anne Kauranen and Essi Lehto, editing by Terje Solsvik)
