President Alexander Stubb on Tuesday reiterated his position on recognising a Palestinian state indicating his readiness that he already announced in the summer.
“We cannot address this issue without asking what would be the right time for Finland to recognize the State of Palestine. I made my position known earlier in the summer,” the President said while addressing the Annual Meeting of Heads of the Mission in Helsinki.
Stubb in an interview with the News Agency STT at the end of July expressed his readiness to recognise a Palestinian state, if the government were to propose it.
“In the Middle East, Finland’s goals and policy remain clear and unchanged: we support the two-state solution and contribute to achieving it,” he said.
He also said that Israel’s actions and the increasingly desolate conditions in Gaza, and the continuing rule of Hamas and the fate of the hostages have made many people ask what would be the best way of achieving a solution allowing peaceful and safe coexistence of two independent states.
“Which decisions would take us closer to reaching our goal?” asked the President.
He said that implementing the two-state solution requires not only that the State of Palestine is recognized but also that the State of Israel is recognised by those that have not done so.
He said a positive step in the matter was the international declaration given in New York in June where the Arab countries in the region jointly committed, for the first time, to Israeli security, calling for Hamas to release all hostages, end its rule of the Gaza Strip and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian administration.
“This is not an easy question, nor is it black and white. In the Middle East crisis, Finland’s influence is very limited,” the President added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo consistently told that the government is not ready to recognise the Palestine as state at this moment.
He also reiterated his position in a party meeting on August 9, when he said that the four-party alliance government is not preparing to recognise the Palestine as a state at this moment.
The role of the Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party) led government on Gaza issue raised controversy in the country, particularly among the political parties.
Two components of the four-party alliance government- radical rightist Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party) and Suomen Kristillisdemokraati (Christian Democratic Party-CD) are strongly opposing the recognition while most of the opposition parties are supporting the recognition of Palestine as a state.
Even the Prime Minister reportedly tried to pursue President Alexander Stubb to delay publicly disclosing his support for recognising a Palestinian state.
Speaking on the Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, the President said that the situation on the battlefield has at times developed in a more positive direction, at times taken steps backwards.
“However, it has become increasingly evident that there can only be a diplomatic solution to the war,” said Stubb.
Pointing out the intensive efforts towards such a solution during the recent period, following the initiative of the President of the United States Donald Trump, Stubb said that Europe has shown strong unity in these discussions and, of course, solidarity with Ukraine.
“It is still too early to say how and when the war will end. Ukraine and, at the same time, the Western states supporting it will face fundamental issues. The solutions made in these matters will have far-reaching consequences,” said the President.
The President also highlighted Finland´s relationship with two leading superpowers, the United States and China.
- Alexander Stubb
- Palestine
- State
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
