Foreign, Security Policy report submitted to parliament

The government on Thursday submitted the Report on Finnish Foreign and Security Policy to parliament.

The report, being drawn up once during each government term, assesses Finland's foreign and security policy-operating environment and defines the goals and priorities for Finland’s actions within the next few years, said a government press release.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto considers it important that the Finnish foreign and security policy strengthens Finland’s security and prosperity in a situation where the operating environment is in an intense state of flux.

“Our goal is a more stable, predictable and safer world. The universality of human rights, the equality of all population groups and human rights agreements are being increasingly challenged around the world. In this context, it is of great importance that the Finnish foreign policy is based on human rights, which means that the human rights impacts of all actions taken in foreign and security policy are assessed,” said Haavisto.

An important objective is to take national action and to engage in international cooperation in order to prevent the emergence of armed conflicts and situations endangering Finland’s security and the society’s ability to act, and Finland ending up in a party to a military conflict.

“The Finnish Foreign and Security Policy is defined by continuity, predictability, and long-term approach. This is visible, for example, in the fact that our priorities are largely the same as they were in the 2016 report. At the same time, foreign policy is pursued under today’s conditions – the new priorities including, among other things, health security, climate change, and digitalisation,” the foreign minister said.

The report consists of two parts: The first part is about the operating environment, presenting Finland’s view of the world situation in foreign and security policy. The present operating environment is especially affected by the change in the relations between the great powers. In various issues, the divisions in great power relations have deepened, which makes the activities within the rules-based international system more difficult. At the same time, no nation is capable of solving global challenges on its own. The coronavirus pandemic has made the need for cooperation particularly clear.

The second part of the report seeks answers to, for example, how Finland should react to changes in its operating environment. Its goals include promoting foreign and security policy cooperation, strengthening multilateral cooperation, sharing global responsibilities and peacebuilding. Under these goals, Finland lists a total of 18 priorities the implementation of which will enhance Finland’s security and the well-being of its people.