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The Finnish government says that people are waiting just over the border in Russia for the frontier to be reopened, so they can try to cross.
ADVERTISEMENTFinland is extending the closure of its eastern border with Russia for another month, because it suspects Moscow is trying to undermine the Nordic country’s security by sending undocumented migrants over the frontier.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen, from the far-right Finns Party, made the announcement at a press conference in Helsinki on Thursday afternoon.
Finland closed the border late last year after 1,300 migrants without proper documentation or visas had crossed since September – an unusually high number, just months after Finland joined NATO.
Finland accused Russia of deliberating ushering the migrants to its normally heavily controlled border. The Kremlin denied the allegation, and says it regrets the Finnish border closures.
The latest closure will last until 11 February.
“There are people in nearby areas waiting for the border to open,” Rantanen told reporters.
The migrants who arrived in the later months of last year were mainly from the Middle East and Africa – particularly from Syria, Somalia and Yemen – and the vast majority of them have sought asylum in Finland.
They are currently being kept at migrant reception centres in different parts of the country while waiting for a decision from authorities.
Many people in Finland have characterised Moscow’s alleged actions as retaliation for the Nordic country joining NATO in April of last year, but Finnish security experts have said Russia’s main motive for such migrant maneuvers remains unclear.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government originally chose to close the 1,340-kilometer border in November, citing security concerns and Russia’s “hybrid warfare.” It later opened two selected checkpoints in eastern and northern Finland on a trial basis, but the migrant influx continued.
All eight Finland-Russia border crossing points for passengers have been closed since 15 December. The southeastern rail checkpoint for cargo trains in Vainikkala remains open for now.
Finland, a nation of 5.6 million people, acts as the European Union’s external border in the north and makes up a significant part of NATO’s northeastern flank.
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