During Friday, Ebba Busch (KD) and Nooshi Dadgostar (V) held their party leadership speeches in Almedalen. Both focused on domestic politics, but mentioned, among other things, Russia's war in Ukraine. FUF interviewed, among others, Björn Cappelin from the Foreign Policy Institute about China's increasing presence and investments in Africa.
- There are fears that the prosperity these investments are supposed to generate will not really reach the broad population, he says.
During Friday, it was time for Ebba Busch (KD) and Nooshi Dadgostar (V) to take the Almedalscenen for their party leadership speeches. Both party leaders focused mainly on domestic politics in their speeches. Ebba Busch did, however, touch on certain peace and security issues – including Sweden's NATO application. With our weapons systems and combat forces, she meant that "Turkey should be grateful for the help Sweden can give", and claimed that Sweden will make the whole of NATO stronger.
She also touched on the war in Ukraine and promised continued support to the Ukrainian people. Also Nooshi Dadgostar mentioned Russia's war in Ukraine and the refugee crisis the invasion has caused.
- Putin's insane war is an attack on all of us, she stated.
Read the full summary of what Ebba Busch said about global issues here and what Nooshi Dadgostar said here.
Video interviews: China's presence in Africa and the role of indigenous peoples in the green transition
Björn Cappelin, deputy center manager at the National Knowledge Center on China at the Foreign Policy Institute, comments on China's increasing presence in Africa, the country's interest in raw materials on the African continent and why this arouses critical voices in the West.
- There is a concern that China is strengthening its already strong control over the value chains, which could be to the detriment of the West, he says. See the full interview with Björn Cappelin here.
Hedvig Schylander, climate expert at the Nature Conservation Association, believes that indigenous people have valuable knowledge for the green transition, for example regarding how to live in symbiosis with nature and the earth's ecosystem.
- It is very important that they get real participation and real conditions to be part of and decide at the international climate summit (..) and in other decision-making processes regarding how the climate transition takes place in their traditional areas, she says. See the full interview with Hedvig Schylander here.