Minister of the Interior of Finland Mari Rantanen Finland announced at a press conference on Thursday that it has decided to extend the closure of its border crossings with Russia beyond the originally scheduled end date of January 15th to February 11th.
The press conference said Russia had promoted “instrumentalized migration.” This refers to the deliberate movement of populations across national borders to further a country’s political objectives. Finland has expressed concern about this and has been gradually closing all eight border crossings on its eastern border with Russia since November 2023. The government had decided on November 16 to close four of the eight sites until February 2024, but on December 14 it closed the remaining sites, including those for asylum seekers, for one month. . Russian authorities deny the accusations of resorting to migration, calling them regrettable. The European Parliament expressed concern about the role of the “European Union” in her December 2023.It criticizes the actors who artificially create and promote irregular migration. ”
Thursday’s press conference justified the extension by noting that the situation on the eastern border had not changed since the border closure in December and “poses a serious threat to Finland’s national security and public order.” Additionally, the government said that based on information collected by authorities, there are still migrants waiting for borders to open. The press conference added that the government will regularly assess the situation and reverse decisions if the situation changes over time.
Relations between Finland and Russia deteriorated significantly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Finland abandoning its decades-long non-alignment policy in favor of national security and joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in April 2023. joined the. According to the report, Finland’s Security Intelligence Service Supo says Russia considers Finland to be a hostile country because it is a NATO member.