HELSINKI (AP) – The Finnish government has decided to close the entire northern part of Northern Europe again starting Friday, as the influx of migrants continues at two border crossing points on the border with Russia. resumed temporarily Early Thursday morning.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen told reporters earlier this week that the decision by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s cabinet to temporarily reopen the Valimaa-Nyirara intersection in the southeast today meant a test to verify safety. He said he was doing it. The “phenomenon” of immigration It still exists on the border.
Finnish border guards reported that dozens of migrants without proper documents or visas had arrived at two checkpoints by late Thursday. Rantanen said that a surge in the number of migrants was expected at the Valimaa and Nyilala checkpoints, and the Finnish government acted quickly to close the checkpoints from 8pm on Friday until January 14. That’s what it means.
At the end of November, Olpo government chooses to shut down Russia has closed its entire 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border for at least two weeks amid concerns that the Russian government is using migrants to destabilize Finland in what it calls a “hybrid war.” .
Finnish authorities said nearly 1,000 migrants arrived at the border without proper visas or valid documents between August and the end of November, with more than 900 entering the country in November alone. That number is much higher than usual.
Finland has accused Russia of deliberately directing migrants, most of whom are seeking asylum in Finland, to its border areas. Border areas are usually tightly controlled by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). The Kremlin denies that Russia is encouraging immigration to Finland and says it deplores the closure of Finland’s borders.
The Finland-Russia land border has eight crossing points for passenger and vehicular traffic and one railway checkpoint for freight trains. As of Friday night, only railway checkpoints between the two countries would remain open.
In early December, Finnish authorities announced that the majority of migrants who arrived in November were from three countries: Syria, Somalia and Yemen.
Finland has a population of 5.6 million people. Key parts of NATO’s northeast flank It serves as the outer border of the European Union in the north.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of global migration at: https://apnews.com/hub/migration