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Finland will reopen parts of its border with Russia, two weeks after Helsinki closed the entire frontier following a Moscow-backed increase of undocumented migrants attempting to cross into the EU country.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Tuesday announced that, while most closures would remain, the Vaalimaa and Niirala border crossing points would be reopened from Thursday. This decision will remain in effect until January 14, the Finnish news outlet Helsingin Sanomat reported.
At a press conference, Orpo said the risk that Russia will continue instrumentalized immigration is extremely high. “Because of this, the border is being opened gradually,” he said.
“Unless we dismantle the restrictions, we cannot verify whether there is a change for the better. If the phenomenon continues, we will close these border crossing points,” Orpo warned.
Finland completely closed its eastern border with Russia for two weeks amid accusations that Moscow was driving migrants and asylum seekers to the frontier to sow discord as payback for the Nordic country joining the NATO military alliance.
Moscow has repeatedly denied the claims, with the Russian foreign ministry saying a previous decision taken by Finland to close a number of checkpoints on the border is “unequivocally” provocative.
In an interview with POLITICO last week, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said her government was hoping to reopen the border after the migrant flow had eased.
Tensions between Helsinki and Moscow have escalated since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, prompting Finland to join the NATO military alliance
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