Finnish President Alexander Stubb has called for the need for a more "cooperative and dignified foreign policy" towards countries in the Global South,
particularly India, warning that failure to do so could lead to significant losses for the West. Weighing in on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, Stubb asserted that the meeting was a good reminder of how important it was to "preserve the remnants of the old order". The Finland President's message was directed to both the European Union (EU) and the United States and his remarks came amid ongoing trade tensions between India and the US over Donald Trump's sweeping 50% tariffs on Indian imports. "My message, not only to my European colleagues, but especially to the United States, is that if we don't derive a more cooperative and dignified foreign policy towards Global South, the likes of India, we are going to lose this game," Stubb said.
Reflecting on the SCO Summit, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also in attendance he remarked, "The meeting is a good reminder to all of us in the global west of what is at stake. We're trying to preserve the remnants of the old order."
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Why Finnish President's voice is important
Finnish President Alexander Stubb is no ordinary European leader when it comes to Donald Trump. The two forged an unusually close rapport earlier this year during a marathon seven-hour round of golf at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Analysts say Stubb belongs to a very select circle of European leaders whose views can actually sway the former US President.
"Among small countries, there is no equivalent whatsoever. (Stubb) has gained unique access to Trump that no one else from a smaller European country has ever had," Jan Hallenberg of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs was recently quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
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Trump himself has openly praised Stubb, calling him a "young, powerful man" who has "done a great job." He once remarked, "We wanted to have you here because you are somebody that we all respect."
(With agency inputs)
