President Stubb to address UN General Assembly in New York amid tensions over Finland’s foreign policy

President Alexander Stubb of Finland will attend the UN General Assembly in New York this week amid a tense global climate. The situation domestically is also strained. During a press conference on Monday with Finnish journalists, Stubb criticized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suggesting that there are differing views on values within Finland’s foreign policy leadership. His comments were in response to Foreign Trade and Development Minister Ville Tavio’s decision for Finland to withdraw from a gender equality pact regarding the reconstruction of Ukraine. Tavio made this decision because the pact aimed to advance the issues of sexual and gender minorities. In a recent interview, Tavio did not deny this interpretation.

“I hope that in the future we will not see similar mistakes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where the President is not informed about matters that belong to the Foreign Trade and Development Minister but relate to our foreign and security policy,” Stubb stated. He plans to discuss Finland’s support for sexual and gender minorities as part of the country’s foreign policy with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the next meeting of the President and the governmental security policy ministerial committee.

Key themes at the UN General Assembly include Russia’s war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza. Finland voted in favor of a recent UN declaration condemning Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and calling for its termination within 12 months. Stubb emphasized that Finland’s foreign policy is based on respect for international law. He clarified that Finland is neither “pro-Israel” nor “pro-Palestine” but focuses on peace mediation. Stubb has called for UN reform, including ending the veto power of permanent members of the Security Council. He is set to address the General Assembly officially on Wednesday. Throughout the week, he will meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.