The Finnish government said people were waiting just above the Russian border for the border to reopen and attempting to cross.
advertisementFinland will extend the closure of its eastern border with Russia for another month over suspicions that Russia is trying to undermine the security of Northern Europe by sending illegal migrants across the border.
Minister of the Interior Mari RantanenMembers of the far-right Finland Party made the announcement at a press conference in Helsinki on Thursday afternoon.
Finland closed its borders at the end of last year after 1,300 migrants without proper documents or visas entered the country since September, a number that fell just months after Finland joined NATO. It was an unusually large number.
Finland has accused Russia of deliberately directing migrants to its normally tightly controlled border. The Kremlin denied the allegations and said he regretted the closure of Finland’s borders.
The latest closure will last until February 11th.
“There are people in neighboring regions who are waiting for the border to open,” Rantanen told reporters.
The migrants who arrived late last year are mainly from the Middle East and Africa, particularly Syria, Somalia and Yemen, with the majority seeking asylum in Finland.
They are currently being held at migrant reception centers across the country pending a decision from authorities.
Many people in Finland characterize Russia’s actions as retaliation against the Nordic countries, which joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) last April, but Finnish security experts say Russia He said the main motive behind the immigration operation remains unclear.
Prime Minister Peteri Orupo’s government initially opted to close the 1,340-kilometre border in November, citing security concerns and Russia’s “hybrid warfare.” Two selected checkpoints were then opened in eastern and northern Finland on a trial basis, but the influx of migrants continued.
Since December 15, all eight border crossing points between Finland and Russia have been closed to passengers. The South East Railway checkpoint for freight trains at Vainikkala remains open for now.
Finland, with a population of 5.6 million, serves as the northern outer border of the European Union and is an important part of NATO’s northeastern flank.