Denmark’s new Development Aid Minister Søren Pind (Lib) is planning to stop development aid to South American countries.

“We are going to leave Latin America, but in a decent way,” Pind says in presenting his vision for Danish development policy.

Pind has declined to say when Bolivia and Nicaragua, which are currently the only two Latin American countries to receive Danish aid, will have to do without Danish aid.

In general, Pind wants to cut the number of countries that receive Danish aid and concentrate on the countries he sees as being most needy.

“There will also be some countries in Africa where others can do a better job than us,” Pind says but declines to name which countries.

Pind’s vision is, among other issues, that Denmark should help the most troubled and vulnerable countries, with economic growth as a main tool. The minister rejects criticism from researchers and the opposition, who say that basic social systems such as the health service and education are prerequisites for economic growth.

“I have never understood where there is a contradiction between combating poverty and economic growth. On the contrary, I believe that economic growth is the only thing that can lift people out of poverty,” Pind says.