Finland Times

 

Prime Minister and Chairman of Keskusta Juha Sipilä and other leaders of the party at a programme on Policy and Action Days in Tampere on Saturday. Photo – Lehtikuva.

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä on Saturday said Finland has already expressed its interest to increase the number of quota refugees, if necessary.

 

Speaking at a programme of his party, the Suomen Keskusta, at Tampere University, Sipilä, also the chair of the party, said during the 4th International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria held in London on Thursday, he assured that Finland is ready to temporarily increase its refugee quota, if the EU succeeds in its joint operation with the UN to put an end to uncontrolled immigration.

 

Currently, Finland’s refugee quota is only 750 and, in recent years, it has been 1,050. 

 

Sipilä believes the figure could be raised further as an alternative to uncontrolled immigration, in which a large proportion of entrants may not receive asylum status.

 

“The most important thing would be to get the situation under control as a UN operation and closer to the crisis areas. We are talking about refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, and enhancing the quality of life, and sharing the control and responsibility from here,” the prime minister added.

 

He also disclosed that on Saturday morning he called Paavo Väyrynen, a Suomen Keskusta leader and a member of European Parliament. “I called because I do not want to be at odds with anyone,” Sipilä told the Finnish language daily Ilta-Sanomat.

 

Väyrynen on Thursday announced that he will form his own political party, Kansalaispuolue (Citizen’s Party).

 

Väyrynen wrote in his blog about the decision of forming the new party and plans to be a candidate for the parliamentary elections of 2019.

 

Despite an invitation, he did not attend the Keskusta Policy and Action Days program at Tampere University on Saturday where about 500 leaders and activists took part.