Current:Home > StocksFinland to reopen 2 out of 8 border crossings with Russia after a 2-week closure over migrant influx-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Finland to reopen 2 out of 8 border crossings with Russia after a 2-week closure over migrant influx
View Date:2024-12-23 16:25:13
HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s government will reopen two out of eight border crossing points with Russia later this week, officials said Tuesday, following a sudden influx of migrants in November.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Cabinet temporarily closed the entire 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border two weeks ago over concerns that Moscow was using migrants to destabilize Finland in an alleged act of “hybrid warfare.”
The Kremlin has denied that Russia is encouraging migrants to enter Finland and has said that it regrets the Finnish border closures.
Finland became NATO’s 31st member in April, and many citizens in the country interpret Moscow’s actions as revenge for Helsinki’s decision to join the trans-Atlantic military alliance after decades of nonmilitary alignment and pragmatic friendly ties with Russia.
Orpo and Interior Minister Mari Rantanen told a news conference on Tuesday that two southeastern crossing points — Imatra and Niirala — would reopen from Thursday until at least Jan. 14. In total, there are eight crossing points for passenger traffic on the Finland-Russia land border, and one rail checkpoint for cargo trains.
“The purpose of (Moscow’s) actions is to destabilize our society. We cannot allow this. If the operation continues, the border will be completely closed again,” Rantanen said. “It’s not about the numbers (of migrants) but the phenomenon itself.”
Orpo stressed that the government’s decision to keep the remaining six crossing points closed for now was unanimous.
He said the two-week complete border closure managed to stop the influx of migrants and that his Cabinet “decisively” informed Moscow that Helsinki “doesn’t accept” Russia’s alleged actions.
Finnish authorities say that nearly 1,000 migrants without proper visas or valid documentation had arrived at the border since August until end-November, with more than 900 of them in November alone. The numbers are remarkably higher than usual.
Finland, a nation of 5.6 million people, makes up a significant part of NATO’s northeastern flank and acts as the European Union’s external border in the north.
Earlier December, Finnish authorities said the vast majority of the migrants — almost all of whom are seeking asylum in Finland — hailed from three countries: Syria, Somalia and Yemen.
Smaller groups were reported to include citizens of Afghanistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kenya and Pakistan, among other nations.
While Finnish border officials initially said migrants used Russia merely as a transit country on way from their home countries to the EU, authorities later said that a clear majority of them were living — working or studying — in Russia with legal visas.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
veryGood! (21225)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Take the Day Off
- Teen Mom's Catelynn Lowell Slams Claims She Chose Husband Tyler Baltierra Over Daughter Carly
- Lizzo Responds to Ozempic Allegations After Debuting Weight Loss Transformation
- What causes brain tumors? Here's why they're not that common.
- Travis Kelce's and Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Houses Burglarized
- Why Bella Hadid Is Thanking Gigi Hadid's Ex Zayn Malik
- ‘The West Wing’ cast visits the White House for a 25th anniversary party
- AI is helping shape the 2024 presidential race. But not in the way experts feared
- Jana Duggar Reveals She's Adjusting to City Life Amid Move Away From Farm
- Angelina Jolie Reveals She and Daughter Vivienne Got Matching Tattoos
Ranking
- Cavaliers' Darius Garland rediscovers joy for basketball under new coach
- It was unique debut season for 212 MLB players during pandemic-altered 2020
- Wisconsin Supreme Court agrees to decide whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stays on ballot
- Alabama lawmaker arrested on domestic violence charge
- Target will be closed on Thanksgiving: Here’s when stores open on Black Friday
- Kailyn Lowry Shares Her Secrets for Managing the Chaos of Life With 7 Kids
- The Daily Money: How the Fed cut affects consumers
- Footage shows NYPD officers firing at man with knife in subway shooting that wounded 4
Recommendation
-
Mariah Carey's Amazon Holiday Merch Is All I Want for Christmas—and It's Selling Out Fast!
-
Ford recalls over 144,000 Mavericks for rearview camera freeze
-
Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois live updates, undercard results, highlights
-
A dozen Tufts lacrosse players were diagnosed with a rare muscle injury
-
Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline, shrugging off Wall Street’s overnight rally
-
Jessie Bates ready to trash talk Travis Kelce Sunday night using Taylor Swift
-
Wisconsin Supreme Court agrees to decide whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stays on ballot
-
The legacy of 'Lost': How the show changed the way we watch TV