A group of some ten young Finnish Muslims met with Foreign Minister and Finns Party leader Timo Soini at the House of the Estates in Helsinki today Friday. During the three-hour meeting organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussions were held on the situation in the Middle East and Finland’s foreign policy.
“All in all the meet-up fulfilled its purpose. The conversations were open and honest,” Pekka Metso, ambassador to intercultural dialogue at the Ministry says.
Foreign Minister Soini gave an opening speech and stayed at the event for about half an hour. The young Muslims continued their discussions for the rest of the meeting with other experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We wanted to give them a clear picture of Finnish foreign policy. The Muslim youths themselves said they hope that Finland’s role as a mediator for peace will be upheld in future, too,” Metso says. “It was great to see both Shia and Sunni Muslims at the gathering, they had all thought out a joint approach to the meeting.”
Metso says that young Muslims seem to see Finland as an ultimately open and conciliatory foreign policy-maker, and calls the meeting a show of respect between Soini and the Muslims in attendance.
The youths refrained from commenting on the meeting on site at the House of the Estates, as did minister Soini.
The idea behind the meeting was born of a trip to the USA organised by the Finn Church Aid and the Ministry of the Interior. Officials and representatives of religious communities in Finland went on the trip to learn more about the dialogue between US officials and religious communities.