The government of Finland has announced that it has stopped its bilateral support and cooperation with Somalia, citing Somalia’s refusal to deport its citizens from Finland.
This decision was announced by the Minister of Trade and Development Ville Tavio (Party of Finland) when he held a press conference. The decision affects Finland’s aid program for the next four years with Somalia.
Finland has discussed this issue many times with the Somali leaders, but no solution has been found yet, according to the Minister of Trade of Finland.
The minister said that the return of Somalis who are illegal in the country is possible, but now he has made it clear that they do not have a sufficient level to be returned.
Tavio noted that the Somali aid program can be restarted if Somalia agrees to accept the deportation of its citizens from Finald.
“For Somalia, this could be a good deal, so they can get support from us for the development of their society to get their citizens back,” said Tavio.
More than 20,000 Finnish citizens of Somali origin are in the country.
When asked if cutting development aid could lead to an increase in immigration to Somalia, the Finnish minister dismissed the idea.
“It is often used as an argument that the number of migrants can be controlled with development aid. I don’t see it that way myself. Our development cooperation money is very small, it has no direct impact on migration,” he said.
Instead, he suggests that broader European migration policies play a significant role in influencing migration trends.
Finland has been supporting Somalia for decades with programs focused on education, health, and infrastructure development.
