Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has been at the center of current efforts to probe and punish allegedly wayward diplomats and two of his own predecessors in the job. On Wednesday he found himself on the defense, after his own son landed an internship at Norway’s embassy in Paris.
“I have made a mistake that I strongly regret,” said Eide after admitting that he violated his ministry’s rules meant to ensure impartiality.
Norway’s foreign ministry offers internships at 79 Norwegian embassies, delegations and consulates around the world. They’re attractive jobs for Norwegian students who want to spend half-a-year working abroad at a diplomatic mission.
Eide should have immediately appointed an impartial substitute to formally approve the hiring, both for himself and the ambassador in Paris who ultimately reports to Eide. “When I heard that my son wanted to apply for the job, I knew right away that I was not impartial,” Eide told reporters at a hastily arranged press meeting.
His son quickly felt obliged to give up his internship, even though he’d been ranked as the best candidate, because the rules meant to avoid conflicts of interest were overlooked. The entire ministry has been in an uproar for the past few weeks over other conflicts involving diplomats who’ve been accused of corruption over their earlier relations with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Two former foreign ministers are under investigation as well.
Eide stressed that he had nothing to do with the hiring of his son, who won the position based on “formal criteria.” He added that it’s “extremely important for me” that his sons “shouldn’t have any advantage for being the foreign minister’s son.”
He further noted that “what hurts the most for me as a father is that my son was thriving at the embassy in Paris,” but felt he had to quit.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Eide should have known how such situations must be handled, stressing that all government ministers are instructed on how to avoid conflicts of interest. “The foreign minister has made a mistake,” Støre said. “He should have alerted the ministry that his son sought an internship, so it could have been handled properly. It’s important that he apolgizes and cleans up.”
Støre stressed that he still has confidence in Eide, who’s already responsible for an internal ministry investigation into the scandals around the Epstein files. The Parliament’s disciplinary committee is also investigating and setting up an independent commission based on revelations in the Epstein files. Norway’s state economic crime unit Økokrim has also opened investigations into the political and economic relations Epstein had with former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, former UN Ambassador Mona Juul and former top diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
