Rival politicians began criticising Orpo in late July after he skipped the European political community summit organised on 18 July in the UK so he could instead spend time with his family.
Orpo - from the centre-right National Coalition Party - finally spoke out, not to apologise, but to insist he would make the same decision next time.
"I put my family first. This job is tough. It is also challenging for my family and my loved ones. The fact that we were able to be together was worth it. I would make that decision again," Orpo said during a press conference.
He sent Finnish President Alexander Stubb to the summit in July and was greeted joyfully by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer when he arrived at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.
Opposition Social Democrat MPs said Stubb's attendance was a "particular anomaly" and "contrary to the spirit of the constitution", arguing that Finland had previously been represented by the prime minister at similar European meetings.
Orpo also faced criticism for not immediately making public the reasons for his absence from the summit.
"It is not known where Prime Minister Orpo was on 18 July when the meeting took place," Titi Tuppurainen, a member of the Social Democratic Party, wrote at the end of July.
However, the prime minister said Stubb's presence at the summit did not pose a problem, saying the replacement had been agreed in advance with officials and summit organisers.
"This was a meeting dedicated to foreign and security policy, so it was only natural that the President of the Republic attended. I thought of it in such a way that when you say there are family reasons behind it, that would be enough. In this case, family reasons were also involved," he added, responding to criticism about why the reasons for his absence were not immediately made public. | BGNES
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