“During the discussion we had on the issue today I expressed that I can’t agree with the resolution and had [my disagreement] recorded in the minutes,” she confirmed to Demokraatti.
TP-UTVA convened on Friday to review Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio’s (PS) decision not to participate in an alliance for gender-responsive and inclusive recovery in Ukraine. Stubb had reprimanded the minister for failing to inform him of the decision, reminding that the issue has a foreign and security policy dimension.
The meetings are typically kept closely under wraps, with the public getting at most a glimpse of the contents through terse press releases, reminded Helsingin Sanomat’s Petja Pelli.
On Friday, Orpo and Stubb held coordinated press conferences after the meeting, announcing that the non-participation decision will not be overturned and assuring that there is no discord over the foreign-policy stance. Stubb stated that foreign and security policy is an existential issue for Finland.
“I remind that every time we disagree in public on foreign and security policy, someone somewhere will use that against us,” he stated according to Helsingin Sanomat. “That's to say foreign policy shouldn’t be used as a tool for domestic policy making in any form.”
The disagreement also caught the attention of opposition lawmakers. Chairpersons Antti Kaikkonen of the Centre, Antti Lindtman of the Social Democrats and Sofia Virta of the Greens expressed their disapproval with the decision not to disclose the dissenting opinion attached by Essayah.
Kaikkonen on Friday told STT that he is not convinced by the assurances made by Orpo and Stubb.
“The prime minister is saying the government is completely united on foreign policy. In this regard it’s pretty strange that he neglected to mention the dissenting opinion of Essayah on the Middle East policy,” he said to the news agency.
Lindtman told Helsingin Sanomat that the attempt to clarify the foreign-policy stance left the audience with more questions than answers – chief among them why the policy makers chose not to disclose the dissenting opinion.
“Contrary to what was said at the press conference, the stance isn’t clearer in terms of the Middle East policy,” he stated, viewing that the disagreements on foreign policy are deeper than assumed.
“They’ve now made the internal contradictions official through one ruling party submitting a dissenting opinion. And this isn’t about different degrees of emphasis, but about a core question about Finland’s stance – how to support the work and standing of international courts.”
The Social Democratic Party announced before the news that it will submit an interpellation concerning the non-participation decision by Tavio, drawing support from the Green League and Left Alliance. Lindtman said he is very disappointed that the government did not re-consider the decision and failed to justify the decision.
With Essayah publicly voicing her views on Israel, an interpellation targeting the entire government is warranted, according to Lindtman.
Virta, meanwhile, reminded the newspaper that it is in the best interests of specifically small countries to defend international law.
“Israeli settlements have been ruled as illegal several times, and Finland’s voting decision at the UN fully aligns with this position. It’s very short-sighted for Essayah to depart from this position,” she wrote in a text to Helsingin Sanomat.
What is even more baffling, she added, is that the prime minister chose not to tell about the departure while assuring that the government stands united behind its foreign policy stance.
Neither Essayah, Orpo nor Stubb was available for comment when contacted by Helsingin Sanomat on Friday.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
