Putin denounces diplomat for helping smuggle Anton out of Russia

Stubb sees no need to comment on statement

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During his visit to Finland on Wednesday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sharply denounced Finnish diplomat Simo Pietiläinen for taking Anton Salonen, the five-year-old son of a Finnish father and his estranged Russian wife, out of Russia in the boot of his car.
      Speaking to reporters in Helsinki, Putin said that such action is not compatible with the role of a diplomat.
      Anton’s mother had taken the boy with her to Russia last year without the father’s permission. The father, Paavo Salonen, travelled to Russia this year to bring him back. To avoid bureaucratic complications, he was taken inside the boot of Pietiläinen’s car in April.
      The issue led to a diplomatic note being sent by Russia to Finland, to which Finland gave a response.
     
“We have heard that he took humanitarian factors into consideration, and we can assume that this is the case. But if a state’s civil servant places humanitarian issues above his duties, his place is not in the service of the state, or as a diplomat; it would be better for him to work in the Church”, Putin said.
      He also said that he only heard about the whole Anton affair while en route to Helsinki.
      “It is clear that if civil servants seek to help one or two people, they can hurt relations between countries and cause damage to millions of people”, Putin said.
     
Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb (Nat. Coalition Party) said that Putin’s comments on the Anton case were “very much to be expected”. “The content of the statement is similar to what has been heard about the matter before”, he said to Helsingin Sanomat.
      “Part of good neighbourly relations is that it is possible to speak directly and clearly about matters”, Stubb emphasised.
      Stubb added that Putin’s statement is no cause for further action on Finland’s part.
     
Putin did not want to comment on the mother’s actions in the case, nor did he criticise the actions of Anton’s father.
      The Russian Prime Minister said that he hoped that in these kinds of “very difficult questions”, parents could resolve their mutual problems without harming their child.
      Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) emphasised that two countries cannot get into an arm wrestle over an individual custody dispute.
      He said that each country defends its own citizens.
     
Vanhanen added that Putin took up the matter from a diplomatic point of view. He said that he had told his Russian opposite number that the Finnish diplomat acted as he did because he had ended up in a cul-de-sac in helping Anton.
      Putin says that he has no information on whether or not the Russian Foreign Ministry had planned to take any measures stemming from the case of Anton. Vanhanen emphasised that it is good that the matter is discussed. “We had a very direct discussion”, he said.
     
“I appealed to Prime Minister Putin, urging Russia to sign the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction so that disputes like this could be resolved in court. I emphasise that we take a very serious view of the Treaty of Vienna on diplomacy”, Prime Minister Vanhanen said.
      Putin did not directly answer the question on whether or not Russia would join the Hague Convention. He said that several European countries have not joined various treaties on language and minority issues, for instance.
      Vanhanen said that there are nine ongoing custody disputes between Finnish and foreign parents, and that two of the cases are in Russia.
     
The main focus of bilateral political discussions was on economic issues.
      Russia would not agree to Finland’s calls for the scrapping of its export tariffs on raw timber. Putin told his somewhat sceptical hosts that the tariffs have led to an increase in industrial investments in Russia.
      Accord was at least reached on the wording of the new lease agreement on the Saimaa Canal, which passes through Russian territory and links Finland’s inland Saimaa waterway with the Gulf of Finland.
      On the other hand, the talks did not see any progress on Finnish worries over the announced Russian plans to move container transports from the roads to the railways.
     
One major topic of discussion was also naturally the progress of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that will pass through the Gulf of Finland.
      Finland is to reach a decision on its acceptance of the seabed pipeline - which has prompted some environmental concerns - in the autumn.
      Prime Minister Putin used the occasion to note that there might be further disruptions in natural gas supply to Europe in the months ahead as Ukraine was facing liquidity problems.
      The Russians would like to use the difficulties faced in their transport of gas via Ukraine to push ahead with the northerly pipeline venture.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Russian journalist says Putin turned Russia into “giant concentration camp” (3.6.2009)
  Russian plan to move container transport from highways to rails to be discussed during Putin visit (2.6.2009)
  Finland replies to Russia’s diplomatic note over Anton custody dispute (29.5.2009)
  Child abduction case prompts ministerial-level altercation between Finland and Russia (18.5.2009)

Helsingin Sanomat