Katainen explains great power comments during visit to Moscow

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Recent comments by ministers of the National Coalition Party concerning Russia have not caused any problems for relations between Finland and Russia, said Konstantin Kosachov, chairman of the foreign relations committee of the Russian Duma on Friday.
      The statement came after he met with Finnish Minister of Finance Jyrki Katainen, who is also the chairman of the National Coalition Party, in Moscow on Friday.
      Kosachov had said in an interview with the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) that he would take up comments on Russia made by leaders of the National Coalition Party during the summer meeting of the party’s Parliamentary group. At the meeting Katainen had said that Russia is not an economic great power.
     
The statement stirred some controversy in Finland, and Kosachov’s reaction was widely quoted.
      Katainen said that he was looking forward to meeting with Kosachov, and said that he was tired of the controversy, which mainly focussed on Finland. Few in Russia even noticed what had been said at the meeting of National Coalition Party MPs.
     
“I was interested in knowing what Kosachov had heard that we had said.”
      “I told him what was said and I explained the context. He has been given a somewhat incomplete impression of what was said and in what context.”
      Kosachov also said that he had been given exaggerated information about the matter.
     
Katainen said that he had repeated that Russia is a great power in foreign policy, military policy, and natural resources, but not when measured by GDP. Kosachov reportedly agreed.
      “Russia’s hope to rise to the level of a great power economically as well is a positive goal from our point of view, but sometimes it leads to rather edgy behaviour. I don’t think that we Finns should get jumpy about every issue”, Katainen said.
      Kosachov, who is an “old acquaintance” of Katainen, represents the country’s leading party, United Russia, whose electoral success in some areas has been blamed on election fraud. The Finnish National Coalition Party has worked together with United Russia, but Katainen insists that the cooperation is not ideological. He says that it is simply good to know those in power in the neighbouring country.
     
Officially, Katainen was in Moscow as the Finnish Minister of Finance, and consequently, he felt that the most important discussions for him were with his colleague Aleksei Kudrin, with whom he discussed the economic situations and prospects for growth of both countries.
      “I became convinced that Russia is strongly committed to bringing WTO talks to completion. Kudrin noted that in the same connection the wood tariffs, which are important to Finland, would be resolved.”
      However, experts disagree somewhat on whether or not Russia actually wants to become a member of the World Trade Organisation.
      Katainen nevertheless said that Finland is a strong supporter of this goal.
      “Our goal, which hopefully is not a very long-term goal, would be that after a WTO agreement, we would get a free trade agreement between the EU and Russia, as well as bilateral visa-free travel.”


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Katainen: Finns jumpy about debate on Russia (20.8.2010)
  Stubb: Relationship with Russia is no “special relationship” (19.8.2010)

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