Reduction of Finnish Peace Keepers in Afghanistan During Upcoming Elections
July 18, 6:35 PM

Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Paavo Väyrynen, stated late last week that he does not accept the need for further increases in the number of Finnish peace keepers in Afghanistan. Minister Väyrynen expressed his opinion when answering a question at the “Foreign Ministers on the Arena” discussion in Pori on July 16, 2009.

Minister Väyrynen proposed that, instead, Finland should get prepared to withdraw its troops during the coming electoral period. In his opinion, Finland should start training Afghans to attend to the security of the northern regions themselves. “Finland cannot continue its Afghanistan operation forever,” the Minister explained.

Minister Väyrynen remarked that, of the other non-aligned EU member states, Austria and Ireland do not have any peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan. “On the other hand, as concerns development cooperation and humanitarian activities, Finland should get prepared for long-term engagement in order to strengthen stability and promote development in Afghanistan,” Väyrynen emphasized.