Finland: border with Russia remains closed “until further notice”
No change to the border between Finland and Russia, which remains closed, Helsinki said on Thursday April 4. For several months, the Finnish government has accused Russia of smuggling migrants to destabilize the country. The situation is still worrying for the Finnish camp, which has not set a date for a possible reopening.
The blocked road leading to the Vaalimaa border crossing, between Finland and Russia, December 16, 2023. AP - Lauri Heino
By: Julien Chavanne Follow
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The border will remain closed “
until further notice
”. The Finnish Minister of the Interior, Mari Rantanen, no longer even risks giving a deadline for a possible reopening of
the border between her country and Russia
. Since December 2023, she has already announced the extension of this radical measure twice.
And it goes even further: the navigation of pleasure boats at maritime crossing points between the two countries is now prohibited. With the arrival of good weather, the Finnish government fears a new route through the Gulf of
Finland
. “
Hundreds, even thousands of people
” on the Russian side could still be “
instrumentalized
” against Finland, the authorities are alarmed.
A bill is also in preparation: migrants will no longer be able to submit their asylum application at any border post, but in a limited area, which will obviously complicate their journey. In the meantime, they are the ones who are paying a high price for the tensions linked to the war in Ukraine, just like the thousands of Russo-Finns who are no longer able to go see their families who remain in
Russia
.
Read also Guards from the European agency Frontex will be deployed on the border between Finland and Russia
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