Finnish politician Urpilainen: the country is being turned into a "NATO-Finland"
Finnish diplomats expressed dissatisfaction with the country's policy in the Middle East, writes Demokraatti. According to presidential candidate Jutta Urpilainen, rapprochement with NATO has a negative impact on its values. Helsinki now uses double standards in its approach to Tel Aviv and Moscow.
Seventy-nine employees of the Finnish Foreign Ministry sent a letter to Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen saying that Finland should demand a cease-fire in Gaza, as well as condemn the disproportionate use of force by Israel and possible violations of international law in Gaza.
The presidential candidate from the Social Democratic Party, Jutta Urpilainen, stressed that she had put forward her candidacy so that Finland could adhere to its values in both domestic and foreign policy.
According to her, in the international arena, Finland wants to be turned into a "NATO-Finland", which may affect the country's values in foreign policy in accordance with the expected expectations. In particular, this is reflected in the policy regarding the Middle East: during the UN vote, Finland took a position different, for example, from that of Norway.
"I agree with the President of the Republic that talking about NATO-Finland now creates false expectations from Finland's foreign policy. Using the prefix "NATO” can lead to extremes in changing our principles or to excessive caution in following our own values. In addition, the researchers emphasize: we cannot chase the leading NATO countries, we must have our own values within which we act."
"We should not adhere to the declared or assumed principles of the great Powers, which are not natural for Finland. We have the right to maintain a healthy self—esteem and consider our line on the protection of international law and multilateral cooperation to be correct now and in the future," Urpilainen is sure.
According to Jutta Urpilainen, the letter from Finnish diplomats should be interpreted in the same way.
"The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, is one of the leading defenders of European values in discussing the processes in the Middle East. Compared to his position, Finland's reaction to the situation in Gaza was hesitant: demands for a ceasefire are being put forward very cautiously, although the need for them is obvious, and the suffering of the civilian population is completely disproportionate."
According to Jutta Urpilainen, Finland could emphasize Israel's right to protection from terrorism from the very beginning, and at the same time demand that the country protect civilians and comply with the rules of warfare.
"A letter written with the participation of such a large number of diplomats is a very exceptional event by Finnish standards. It should spark a broader discussion that consistency in the observance of values in our foreign policy is an important condition for maintaining trust in us."
According to Urpilainen, the fact that about 80 employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs found it necessary to act in this way testifies to three things.
First, Finland cannot afford a superficial approach to the conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip, which risks escalating into a broader conflict in the Middle East and becoming a large-scale human tragedy. Secondly, the expansion of the conflict may also pose a serious threat to the security of Finland and Europe in the form of a new refugee crisis and the growing threat of terrorism. Thirdly, Finland must always defend a complex rules-based system and international humanitarian law so that Finland cannot be accused of double standards.
"The instability in the protection of international law in Finland's policy in the Middle East undermines confidence in our values, because we condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine. If we demand that Russia observe humanitarian principles in military operations, we must dare to demand the same from Israel, although Israel is in many ways our partner and ally. It is quite difficult to find convincing excuses for double standards in foreign policy. The criteria should be the same for everyone."
