Väyrynen criticises Stubb’s Africa enthusiasm
Väyrynen & Stubb
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Paavo Väyrynen (Centre Party), Finland’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, has questioned the wisdom of the preparations for an Africa strategy by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb (Nat. Coalition Party) has launched the strategy, and defined Africa as one of the new key themes of Finnish foreign policy.
“I have not understood what it is needed for”, Väyrynen said on Monday to Helsingin Sanomat.
Väyrynen pointed out that Finland and Africa are united specifically by questions of development cooperation and trade policy, which are part of his mandate. An Africa framework programme is currently under preparation.
Väyrynen notes that Finnish participation in peacekeeping operations in Africa is primarily the business of the Ministry of Defence. Foreign and security policy is being taken care of mainly through the common foreign and security policy of the European Union.
According to some assessments, the foreign policy leadership’s recent activism over Africa involves an attempt to influence the United Nations. Finland hopes to get a seat on the UN Security Council for two years as of 2013.
Stubb has reported on his new focus on Africa in his blog. On Monday he wrote that Africa should be examined as a whole, using the entire array of methods available to foreign policy.
“Africa is not only development cooperation. It is also peace, economics, security and human rights”, Stubb wrote.
Stubb’s staff said that preparations of the Africa strategy are only beginning. As the preparations proceed, civil servants are to be taken into the policymaking from the development policy section under Väyrynen’s authority.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 10.3.2009 - TODAY |
 Väyrynen criticises Stubb’s Africa enthusiasm |
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