Finland could open a land crossing with its neighbor once a new migration law is adopted, its prime minister has said
Finland could partially reopen its border with Russia if Helsinki adopts a law that tightens measures for migrants, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters on Sunday.
The draft law proposed by the ruling coalition would allow border agents to turn back migrants trying to enter from Russia without processing their asylum applications.
According to Orpo, Finland’s eastern border has remained “calm” primarily because of his government’s decision to close border crossings with Russia last year.
“When the law is approved, we will try to carefully open the border,” Orpo said in an interview with Yle radio, adding that the measure would be part of the government’s “arsenal” to manage the frontier.
Finland, which joined NATO last year, closed its eastern land border in late November and banned shipping from several ports after more than 1,300 asylum seekers – primarily from Africa and the Middle East – crossed over from Russian territory during a four-month period.
The flow of migrants had previously averaged just a few hundred per year, and the Finnish government blamed Moscow for the influx. Russia has dismissed Helsinki’s claims about “weaponizing” migration.