Juha Ristamäki
At the moment of decision and after that, the lines of state leadership, the president and the government must be straight, writes Juha Ristamäki.
The Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, Ville Tavio (ps), sent a joint picture of himself and the President of the Republic, Alexander Stubbs, at the UN through his assistant.
On Monday in New York, the President of the Republic, Alexander Stubb, quite bluntly took the position of an individual government minister, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development City Tavion into action.
Tavio had decided that Finland would leave the equality alliance related to the reconstruction of Ukraine, apparently because the project in question was also intended to promote the issue of sexual and gender minorities.
Finland supports Ukraine on a very wide front, both militarily and on the civilian side. This time, Tavio chose from the various projects on the table something other than the one related to sexual and gender minorities, and this did not please President Stubb.
– I hope that in the future we will not see similar mistakes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that the president is not informed about matters that belong to the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation but are related to our foreign and security policy, Stubb said at the beginning of the UN week in New York.
According to the president, the matter, which in itself would not even belong to the tp-utt formed by the president and key ministers (the foreign and security policy ministerial committee of the president of the republic and the government), must be discussed at its next meeting.
President Mauno Koivisto once stated that he doesn’t have a hammer so small that its impact doesn’t feel like a hammer blow. This should be kept in mind by President Stubb too, no matter how a single minister’s decision upsets a president profiled in minority affairs.
Now that Stubb has first publicly humiliated Minister Tavion, it would be logical that Tavion’s decision would be overturned. However, this is hardly done.
As Prime Minister Petteri Orpokin (kok) has stated, the decision was under Tavio’s authority, and it has no effect on the broad outline of Finland’s foreign and security policy. According to Orpo, Tavio could have made a different decision, better in line with the government’s line.
It seems that the only thing left of Jupaka is that there is a public disagreement in the management of affairs in the state leadership, and the president will not have any difficulties publicly slandering an individual minister and at the same time the entire Orpo government.
Eripura has also been caused by Finland’s decision to vote in the UN in favor of the illegality of Israeli settlements. Among the Christian Democrats (KD) and basic Finns, people have wondered why Finland, like Sweden, for example, refrained from taking a stand.
According to KD MP Päivi Räsänen, Finland’s voting decision was inciting a solution that will only increase bloodshed in the region. Räsänen has demanded an explanation from the Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtone (Kok).
The Israel vote took place during UN week. President Stubb has had a big agenda in New York, he has promoted his initiative to reform the Security Council and strengthen the role of the Global South in it. Stubb seems to be seeking a significant international role for himself through the global south.
Both President Stubb and Foreign Minister Valtonen have stated that Finland’s voting behavior in the Israel matter was based on the fact that, according to the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ), Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements are illegal and should be stopped.
According to KD’s Räsänen, such matters should definitely be dealt with in tp-utva. According to Iltalehti’s information, this also happened, but apparently the information has not spread to KD and basic Finns.
All the same, this case also shows disunity in foreign policy leadership.
This does not mean that there shouldn’t be different positions on issues, but at the moment of decision and after that, the lines of state leadership, the president and the government must be straight. It has been the tradition and strength of our foreign and security policy, and there is no reason to abandon it.
Stubb has started well as president of the republic. He has brightened Finland’s position in the Western community and firmly pushed the deepening of NATO membership forward.
International performance, energy and speed are enough, but the president must remember that even if he is the driving force in many matters, he leads foreign policy in cooperation with the Government.
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