Government|Sofia Vikman, vice-chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, says that Finland’s line in foreign policy is clearly written in the government’s program and reports.
Foreign Affairs Committee vice chairman Sofia Vikman of the coalition considers the government’s foreign and security policy line to be completely clear.
According to Vikman, the line is defined in the government program and in the government’s recent foreign and security policy report.
The clear line emphasized by Vikman does not seem to be clear to all government parties when it is realized in practice, i.e. when the minister makes decisions or when Finland votes according to the line.
A rare war of words about foreign policy has been raging in the government for a long time, which has not been allowed to subside.
It’s about two things: the relationship with Israel and sexual and gender minorities.
On Monday Member of Parliament for Basic Finns Kaisa Garedew said that “convention politicians pull decisions out of their hats”.
“Opposing Israel is not the line of the government program,” Garedew said. He referred to the fact that Finland voted at the UN the other week in favor of finding Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal.
Vikman’s according to the government program and report, it has been stated that Finland is strongly committed to international law and rules-based multilateral cooperation.
“According to the report, Finland profiles itself in the UN as a consistent defender and developer of international law. In addition, Finland’s goal at the UN is the international community’s strongest and most unified response to serious violations of international law,” says Vikman.
One of the key principles of international law is that territorial annexations are not made through the use of force. The disputed voting decision concerned Israel’s activities, but according to Vikman, the principle is of essential importance both in terms of the situation in Ukraine and ultimately also in terms of Finland’s national security.
In addition, according to Vikman, Finland has considered for decades that Israeli settlements in the territories it occupies are illegal under international law.
So it is a long-term foreign policy line, but the Christian Democrats and Basic Finns have criticized Finland’s voting decision exceptionally harshly in recent days. Congressman Päivi Räsänen (kd) also turned the criticism to the International Court of Justice, the ICJ and said in Iltalehti that it is “politically colored”.
One representative of the ruling party told HS that Räsänen’s statements stemmed from the simultaneous discussion of whether Finland should recognize the state of Palestine. It is a red garment for the Christian Democrats and basic Finns. According to HS’s information, the coalition’s ranks also share concerns about this goal.
Vikman notes that the safeguarding of the rights of sexual and gender minorities is clearly included in the foreign and security policy as well as in the reporting of international economic relations and development cooperation.
According to Vikman, it would have been completely in line with Finland’s line to participate in the equality alliance for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio (ps) however decided otherwise.
“It was within his authority. When such a discussion has arisen on the matter, I expect the government to have a discussion within its circle, after which we can trust that the line will be kept.”
According to Vikman, one decision will not change Finland’s policy, but the essential thing is to have certainty on how to act in the future.
How should the government act so that similar disputes no longer arise?
Vikman says that he thinks it is good that the foreign policy leadership has a discussion about foreign policy decision-making. This is expected on Friday, when the government’s and the president’s joint tp-utva will meet.
He believes that after the discussion, one can trust, for example, that the guidelines of the report will be followed in the development policy.
“I also hope that when the discussion has taken place, a shared understanding of the importance of international law for a country like Finland will emerge.”
Correction 1.10. at 18:12: Corrected Kaisa Garedew’s name to the correct form.
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