Response to interpellation 2023/24:737 on agreements between Swedish and Iranian universities
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerned agreements between Swedish and Iranian universities. L argues that the government takes the situation in Iran seriously and that international collaborations are important for research and democracy 1. L emphasizes that the higher education institutions have autonomy and responsibility to assess risks 1. L argues that academia has been naive regarding security issues and that the government has taken measures to increase competence and create guidelines 2 3, but admits that Sweden lags behind other countries in this work 3. C argues that the government is not doing enough and that agreements with Iranian universities can support a terrorist organization 4. C wants concrete measures and a control plan 4.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Utbildningsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! Alireza Akhondi has asked me if I have taken, or plan to take, measures to protect Swedish security interests given the potential risks that the strategic agreements between Swedish and Iranian universities entail, and whether I intend to gather the rectors of the country's colleges and universities and work on the issue systematically and formally. He has also asked me if I intend to advocate for Swedish colleges and universities to immediately terminate their agreements with their Iranian counterparts, and whether I intend to raise the issue with my European colleagues and work for a unified position within the European Union in this regard.
I would like to state initially that the government views the situation regarding human rights, democracy, and the principles of the rule of law in Iran with great seriousness. The European Union has also for many years acted forcefully against Iran, including with sanctions against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in its entirety and against individuals and entities within the same guard. The government will continue to work for strong international pressure against the Iranian regime. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs stated in this chamber on April 26, the government has also worked for unity within the EU to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
International collaborations are important for Swedish research and competitiveness and are something that we shall promote. The Swedish position has long been that it is possible to be critical of how a state acts and at the same time see the value of international collaborations within research and education. This attitude is shared with other like-minded countries. International collaborations promote not only knowledge itself but also the development of democracy globally.
Madam Speaker! State universities and colleges in Sweden have a high degree of autonomy, and it is their responsibility to determine which international cooperation projects within education and research they should enter into. It is therefore the educational institutions that are responsible for making the necessary assessments of which collaborations are appropriate based on, among other things, security aspects. In its latest annual report, Säkerhetspolisen classifies Iran as one of the greatest security threats to Sweden. This clarifies the importance of ensuring that all agreements entered into with educational institutions in Iran must carefully take into account what risks the cooperation in question may entail.
I agree with what the Member of Parliament states in his interpellation regarding the need to be vigilant about the risks that international collaborations entail. The protection of national interests, knowledge, and technology is a priority for the government. It is very important that there is an awareness among researchers and educational institutions about the risks of collaborations with educational institutions in certain countries, and that they have the conditions to be able to manage these.
The Government has taken the initiative for several measures in this area. We have, among other things, decided that competence in security issues shall be taken into account when nominating the members appointed by the Government to the boards of higher education institutions, and have tasked three agencies with producing national guiding guidelines and support for responsible internationalization within higher education and research.
The undersigned and State Secretary Maria Nilsson have, over the past year, met with all principals to discuss, among other things, issues related to security and the measures that the government has taken. Security issues are also raised with all educational institutions during the annual dialogues taking place now during the spring.
The work of protecting Swedish interests and strengthening the security of research is very important, and it is important that the higher education institutions continue to work actively with security issues linked to international collaborations. The Government has taken important steps to support the higher education institutions in this work. We are following the issue closely and are prepared to consider further measures.
Alireza Akhondi (C)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer, which I honestly do not feel satisfied with. This question is not about me as an individual member or about my party, but in all respects about Sweden's security interests, and those are what we are tasked to safeguard in all respects.
We know that there are countries that are extremely active on the Swedish market in different ways. Säpo points out Russia, China and Iran. I recently obtained documents showing that when Swedish universities have signed agreements with their Iranian counterparts, the Iranian counterparts in the second link have signed an agreement with the Revolutionary Guard, an agreement which says that everything that the Iranian universities receive, the Revolutionary Guard also receives. Then it is no longer about internationalization or knowledge exchange, but then it is about supporting a terrorist organization, and we cannot do that in broad daylight. It is absolutely not possible, Mats Persson. When new facts are added to the case, one must also dare to think outside the box and act.
Latest this morning, I obtained further documents about more alarming things that a Swedish university has engaged in. It is said that the government has been very active, and I understand that the government has a lot to do, so it is not about some kind of blame game. But somewhere one must also dare to tackle things. Skill enhancement in all its glory, but what else is there in the toolbox? A government should be able to have a few more things than what the government is now presenting in the interpellation response.
It does not only concern Iran, but it must reasonably also apply to Russia and China. Now I do not know if there are corresponding agreements in the other ranks there, but that is what I assume. In the case of Iran, there is at least a clear agreement, and that is what makes the situation extra alarming. I hope therefore that Mats Persson takes this issue seriously.
In the next speech, I want to hear what he and the government are doing in concrete terms, because quite honestly, I am not satisfied with this answer. It also states incorrectly that the EU has acted forcefully against Iran for many years. That is not true. In November 2022, there were eleven people on the sanctions list. Now there are over 300 people and 40-50 entities on the sanctions lists. Governments of different colors have obviously not acted particularly forcefully against the Islamic regime.
When it comes to the terror listing of the dreadful guard, it is a matter of acting a bit more forcefully. The signals from Brussels have not been particularly encouraging regarding Tobias Billström's actions.
Utbildningsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Alireza Akhondi, for the commitment and the question! I am very impressed by the member's commitment to the issue. Regarding the report that was recently presented and which points to serious information concerning collaborations where Swedish educational institutions are an actor, I assume that the leadership of the educational institutions takes this most seriously and acts based on the information that has emerged and gets to the bottom of the validity of the information.
The government has an ongoing dialogue with our educational institutions, and security issues are constantly high on the agenda. From day one when the government was appointed, we have placed increased focus on this type of issue and taken a number of different measures aimed at increasing competence.
Just as the member says, security issues are not specifically a problem at our educational institutions, but rather a specific problem in society as a whole. My assessment is nevertheless that academia is an arena that may have been somewhat more naive in these types of issues than other arenas in society, because there is a tradition of openness and international cooperation and that research stands free from politics etcetera. It is an important slogan, but one must also have a security policy mindset when acting, not least when it concerns China, Iran, and Russia.
The committee members have presented the existing problems in a productive manner. The government has an ongoing dialogue with the educational institutions, and I assume that action will be taken on the new information that has emerged. We have taken a number of different measures, and I would say that the most important will be the guidelines that the authorities will now develop. For the individual researcher, these guidelines will mean that there is a regulatory framework and a template for how to handle international collaborations so that there can be increased awareness regarding these types of issues. I believe that it will be a very, very effective measure to tackle the problem.
Lastly, the undersigned wants to say that one is never finished with this work. These actors are dangerous and a threat to Sweden, and we must constantly move forward our positions in order to be able to meet foreign powers' interests in Sweden.
Alireza Akhondi (C)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister Mats Persson, for the additions!
I can give a couple of clarifying examples. Cambridge had an agreement with its Iranian counterpart. What happened and what that cooperation yielded was that one helped the Revolutionary Guard to develop the range of drones – the same drones that are now being used by the Russians in Ukraine. Then the Minister understands how complex this becomes in the next stage.
Knowledge is the most valuable thing we have. As a liberal, I understand this matter of academic freedom. But we in Sweden have been lulled into a kind of false security for 200 years, and it is clear that it leaves deep marks. One does not move the steamship overnight. I have all respect for that, but despite these difficulties, one can still expect a bit more from the government precisely when it comes to an actor that we know is extra dangerous.
Säpo pointed out for the first time in plain text that the IRGC is responsible for murder plots against Swedish Jews on Swedish soil. It was not particularly long ago that Säpo picked up two of these terrorists on Swedish soil. They planned to carry out terrorist acts abroad.
This is an actor that is truly dangerous and who poses a serious threat to our interests, and not just here at home. We see what is happening in the Red Sea, and otherwise with the technology that was obtained from Cambridge. We also see what is happening in the Middle East as a whole. The consequences of this can be devastating.
After the event we had in the Chamber of the House of Commons, I have been contacted by Iranian researchers who are now on Swedish soil and who in some way argue that the picture I convey is directly incorrect. In some individual cases, that can absolutely be the case. They also tell of discrimination on other levels. But one cannot mix apples and pears. Given the global situation and the new security policy situation prevailing in Europe, it is now a matter for us to ensure that we manage to both work with internationalization - I accept that this in the long run leads to a better world - and ensure that we do not shoot ourselves in the foot during this journey.
Utbildningsministern Mats Persson (L)
Madam Speaker! I completely share the member's assessment. When it comes to the balance between, on one hand, free science, open borders and international cooperation and, on the other hand, security policy competence and security policy thinking, the scales have been unbalanced. The awareness has been too small regarding the risks associated with different types of cooperation generally, and specifically when it concerns certain countries. It is primarily three countries we are talking about, according to the Swedish Security Service and other authorities.
I completely agree with this. That is why the government is now taking a number of measures. They are very far-reaching. The reaction I, as the responsible minister, normally receive is not that we are doing too little, but that we are doing too much and that we are going too far when it comes to what is called restrictions of academic freedom. I do not share that view, but I share the member's view that we need to do more.
We have taken great steps in the right direction in a very short time. That does not mean we are finished - far from it. We need to constantly sharpen our tools.
Madam Speaker! A reflection I make is that Sweden lags far behind other countries. If one compares with the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, which are countries that are quite similar to Sweden in their culture and structure and not least when it comes to the university system, Sweden lies much further back. This is taken very seriously by the government. Therefore, we are now undertaking a number of measures, and we are also prepared to do more.
Alireza Akhondi (C)
Mr. Speaker! I am quite convinced that there is a great commitment from Mats Persson in this matter. This is a very important issue that lies beyond party politics.
I wonder, however, if the Minister, in their concluding remarks, can answer whether some kind of control plan will be developed so that one can monitor how far the universities have progressed, for example, when it is time for the regulatory letters in October or November, and see if any modifications need to be made there. Can the Minister give some kind of assurance that this issue is well-handled, so that at least I, as a member, can sleep well at night?
This is actually a question that is concerning on many levels. Furthermore, it also concerns trade with the Islamic Republic overall. I have raised the problematic aspects regarding these parts, but it has nothing to do with this interpellation debate.
Utbildningsministern Mats Persson (L)
Mr. Speaker! I thank Alireza Akhondi for a very important debate.
We have taken a number of measures and are prepared to do more. We are following this issue very closely. I take the new information regarding links to Iran that have emerged recently with the utmost seriousness, and I assume that the educational institutions will now investigate the information that exists and act if it turns out to be true. I have no reason not to believe that.
We have an ongoing dialogue with the educational institutions, not least when it comes to security policy and these types of questions. We are prepared to take further measures if it should be required. We are prepared to do what is necessary for Sweden to have sufficient preparedness to be able to withstand a foreign power that wants nothing more than to destroy Sweden. We are prepared to do everything in our power to prevent it.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.