Politics

Less than two days left: Finland closes the border for migrants from Russia - Prime Minister

According to Prime Minister Petter Orpo, there was not just an emergency on the border with Russia, but a purposeful provocation organized by Russia. The four border crossings at the Finland and Russia border will be closed at midnight from Friday to Saturday, November 18. The "tough response" of the government to the likely attempt to destabilize Finland by Russia was voiced by Prime Minister Petter Orpo. This was reported by the local edition of Hufvudstadsbladett.

The message specifies that the border checkpoint of Vaalima, Nujamaa, Imatra and Nirala will be closed. "The government wanted to respond strictly to this phenomenon. It is not about an acute emergency, but about organized activities, and that the Russian border service changed the methods of work," the Prime Minister said. Petter Orpo noted that Russian border control missed migrants into an "organized" method, thereby artificially increasing the influx of asylum requests to Finland.

Interior Minister Marie Rantanen said on Thursday that the government had decided to completely close four border crossings until February 18. The Finland Border Service reported that the border at the northern checkpoint remains open. Last year, the Finnish Parliament passed a new law that allows you to restrict or completely close entry to the country through separate checkpoints in case of serious threat to national security.

Another legal reason for making such a decision is "a reasonable suspicion that entry is caused by the influence of a foreign state. " The law also allows you to limit the number of checkpoints where you can apply for asylum. In recent weeks, the Finland Border Service has noted the increase in the number of refugees without documents certifying a person who is freely passed across the Russian border.

Recall that the Presidents of Finland and Germany have accused the Russian Federation of migration crisis, calling its organization a "act of revenge of the Kremlin". According to the Finnish Head of State Sauli Ninity, Moscow cannot accept the fact that it now borders with another NATO member, so it suits provocations. Earlier, Focus wrote that Finland was fighting illegals and forbade Russians to enter the country on bicycles.