Finnish politics

Prime minister Petteri Orpo (kok) says that Finland will not cancel the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Town Tavion (ps) decision, but Finland continues to promote equality in the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Orpo tells about a new decision: the government will add a section promoting equality to the reconstruction plan that is now being prepared.

In addition, Orpo said that Tavio is not alone in charge of the promotion of equality section, but that the social security minister from the coalition will be involved in the preparation Sanni Grahn-Laasonen.

The media asked Orpo at the press conference if Grahn-Laasonen has been put in Tavion’s apron.

– I see this as a very practical matter. When there is an issue of substance, which is equality and equality, it is combined with the work of the Minister of Development, which means that we ensure that the best talents are brought into the context of the reconstruction program, says Orpo.

Petteri Orpo held a press conference on Friday afternoon. Petteri Plasma

Loud in the background

The opposition has demanded an answer from Prime Minister Orpo whether the government has a unified foreign policy line. Orpo assured on Friday that the government’s big picture of foreign policy is completely unified. He flatly denied that the foreign policy line was messed up.

The government’s foreign and security policy ministerial committee and the president of the republic met at the TP-utva meeting on Friday, and afterwards both Orpo and the president of the republic Alexander Stubb held their own briefings on foreign policy issues. Both issued invitations to press conferences at very short notice on Friday. You can read about giving Stubb the opportunity in this article.

Tavio’s decision is about the fact that he decided that Finland will remain outside of the Ukrainian equality alliance related to the reconstruction of Ukraine. The equality alliance supports the rights of women, girls and gender and sexual minorities in Ukraine. Basic Finns and Christian Democrats have not seen anything reprehensible in Tavio’s actions.

Another dispute has been that there has been disagreement in the government about the foreign minister Elina Valtonen (kok) about the UN vote the other week. Finland voted that Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories has been illegal. According to Stubb, Valtonen’s vote was in line with Finland’s foreign and security policy. From the governing parties, the Christian Democrats and the Fundamental Finns thought the voting line was wrong.

In addition, the situation in the Middle East and Finland’s position on the recognition of Palestine came up during the press conference.

Aino-Kaisa Pekonen, the chairperson of the parliamentary group of the Left Alliance, announced that the Left Alliance will submit a motion of no confidence to Foreign Trade and Development Minister Ville Tavio (ps) separately and to the government together. Mikko Huisko

The opposition party Vasemistoliitto is represented by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Ville Taviolle (ps) separately and to the government together a vote of no confidence.

Chairman of the parliamentary group of the Left Alliance Aino-Kaisa Pekonen announced the no-confidence motions on the messaging service X on Friday.

According to Pekonen, the left-wing coalition has no other choice because the government is unable to defend the long line of Finland’s foreign policy, equality, equality and even its own government program.

– There has been uncertainty about Finland’s foreign policy line. Today it turned out that a common line has been found, and it is a line against the equality of basic Finns. Minister Tavio (ps) did not change his decision and Finland did not join Ukraine’s equality alliance, Pekonen explains.

According to Pekonen, the decision is very confusing and raises concerns about Finland’s foreign policy line. Now, according to Pekonen, Ukraine is left without the international support it hopes for. In Pekonen’s opinion, it is extremely important that Ukraine is heard and that it receives all the support from the international community.

– The coalition is trying to get rid of the embarrassing situation with the promise of ministers Tavio and Grahn-Laasonen (kok) on the equity paper prepared. The value of such a paper will be the same as the government’s anti-racism communiqué: a round zero.

Criticism from Lindtman

Also the chairman of the largest opposition party SDP Antti Lindtman says that the SDP expresses no confidence. Lindtman told reporters about it in the parliament.

According to Lindtman, the most important thing now was whether Finland would join Ukraine’s equality alliance, from which Tavio left because of the mention of sexual minorities. Prime minister Petteri Orpo (kok) and the President of the Republic Alexander Stubb said on Friday that the decision will no longer be changed afterwards. The president and the government discussed the issue on Friday in a joint meeting, or tp-utva.

Lindtman pointed out that the prime minister himself had said that it would have been in line with Finland’s line to join the Ukrainian equality alliance.

– Now that even after this discussion, Finland will not go along with it, we will leave a vote of no confidence in Minister Tavio’s actions. And now that the entire government has acknowledged this line, so to speak, and when it seems that the strength of the coalition is not enough to hold on to the clarity of Finland’s foreign policy line, we will pass a vote of no confidence in the entire government’s actions, Lindtman said.