He thereby commented on a phrase used by Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo, the party secretary of the Finns Party, on Friday to refer to asylum seekers arriving in Europe. Her choice of words has stirred up considerable debate in Finland in recent days.

People fleeing conflicts should not be called welfare surfers, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä (Centre) stated at the Annual Meeting of Finnish Heads of Mission in Helsinki on Monday.

Sipilä also urged Finland not to isolate itself and condemned all forms of racism, hate speech and violence.

“The public debate hasn't fully reflected the fact that this is the joint position of the Government,” he lamented in his address.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini (PS) was not as eager to distance himself from the remarks of Slunga-Poutsalo, insisting instead that she has the right to speak freely and that she alone is responsible for her remarks.

Soini admitted that the migrant crisis in Southern Europe is serious but only broached on the issue briefly in his address.

He later estimated that the European Union has intensified the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean by deciding to relocate migrants arriving by boat in Greece and Italy. “That has activated human traffickers. They're aggressively using the EU's decision to their advantage,” he argued.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs urged the European Union to make it clear that its borders are monitored and that help will be extended only to those in genuine need.

His views received support from Jari Lindström (PS), the Minister of Justice and Labour. Lindström revealed in a bulletin published on Monday that the Government will step up its efforts to integrate immigrants and demanded that people whose asylum application has been turned down be deported without undue delay.

Sipilä estimated that Finland has room for improvement in terms of both its words and actions with respect to welcoming immigrants. “Everyone must be treated as an individual,” he summarised.

He added, however, that the focus of the efforts to resolve the migrant crisis must be on the countries of origin of asylum seekers. The European Union has according to Sipilä been too cursory in its attempts to resolve global problems.

“The refugee flows are an indication of how woefully late we are. Problems in the countries of origin have piled up,” he pointed out.

Soini, in turn, devoted much of his address to more traditional foreign policy issues. He affirmed, for example, that Finland will adhere to its policy towards Russia and reminded that the key to resolving the crisis in Ukraine lies in the hands of Russia.

“Europe isn't hoping that Russia isolates itself,” he said.

Finland must also look after its own defence capabilities, stressed Soini. “This shouldn't be interpreted as militarisation against Russia but as much-needed defence capability improvements,” he added.

Soini also commented on the general debate climate in his address by calling attention to the importance of respectful dialogue in alleviating global tensions. In particular, he stressed, religions should not perceived as mutually hostile blocs.

Both Sipilä and Soini also estimated that the economy is increasingly significant for foreign policy formulation. They cited the lingering economic crisis as a reason for decisions that appear to erode the influence of Finland. “Many are under the impression that the Government has given a black eye to Finland by slashing development co-operation funds,” said Soini.

The expenditure cuts have affected the reputation of Finland, confirmed Lenita Toivakka (NCP), the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development. She estimated that there are parties especially in Europe who rejoice at the sluggish growth of Finland.

“There are also parties who want to portray us as a selfish nation.”

Finland must according to Toivakka look after the debate climate. “If the climate becomes too narrow-minded, young people will move abroad,” she said.

Anna-Liina Kauhanen – HS

Aleksi Teivainen – HT

© HELSINGIN SANOMAT