The opening of the border between Finland and Russia is not realistic at the moment, according to Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkinen. His words are quoted by the Finnish public broadcaster Yle, citing an interview with the politician to the Keskisuomalainen publication, UNN reports.
We are not going to open the border. We know that Russia has a desire to continue to send migrant flows to Finland immediately
Yle noted that earlier, Russian Ambassador to Finland Pavel Kuznetsov proposed to open the border. Häkkinen noted that Moscow's words and actions in this matter are at odds.
We have to take common security issues seriously. Whether it is border security, cables, or real estate transactions, we must strengthen controls in these areas
According to Häkkinen, Russia tends to embellish its actions, despite the fact that it is the reason for the deterioration of relations with its neighbors. He cited the Russian military's attacks on Chechnya, Georgia, and Crimea, and then the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as examples.
He argues that if Moscow really wants to engage with its neighbors, it must first change its behavior. In the current situation, Russia cannot count on continued tourism and trade.
The first step towards improving relations would be for Russia to stop its military operations in Ukraine and withdraw from the occupied territories. While the attack continues, it is hard to forget what Russia has done over the past three years
In an interview with Keskisuomalainen, Mr. Häkkinen accused Russia of hypocrisy, noting that it does not realize that the official dialogue between the countries may currently be mainly about border cooperation and the work of embassies.
Trust has been lost because Russia attacked Ukraine and issued ultimatums to the whole of Europe
The defense minister also emphasized the importance of a unified position of the EU and NATO against Russia, which is seeking to split Europe through dialogue with individual countries.
Recall
The Finnish government has submitted a bill to ban the purchase of real estate by citizens of countries at war. The law will not apply to foreigners with permanent residence permits in Finland.