On Thursday afternoon, Finnish border authorities close the border crossing in Vartius near the town of Kuhmo in the east of the country. After this, only the Raja Jooseppi border crossing east of Ivalo in the far north of Lapland is open. Finnish authorities say this is necessary due to an increasing flow of asylum seekers and refugees without visas. Many of the refugees in Salla on Thursday cycled across the border. Photo: Reuters They believe that the whole thing is controlled by the Russian authorities, who want to create unrest along the EU’s outer border. Finland has a border of 1,340 kilometers with Russia. We make it difficult to get to the border The Raja Jooseppi border crossing is located along the road between Ivalo and Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula. The Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Wednesday that they want to make it as difficult as possible for refugees to get to a border crossing, and that it is a demanding journey all the way to Raja Jooseppi. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo from the Finnish Conservative Party, took over as Finnish Prime Minister this summer. Photo: Reuters On Thursday, around 60 refugees made it across the border crossing in Salla further south in Lapland, before it too closed. Finnish media reports that the refugees are being driven north in buses and cars. The governor of Murmansk county, Andrej Tsjibis, wrote on Thursday on his Telegram channel that Finland, by closing the borders and sending the refugees north, is in the process of creating a humanitarian crisis. The authorities in Murmansk County have set up tents for refugees trying to cross the border. Photo: Reuters Further to Storskog and Norway? It is only around 150 kilometers from Raja Jooseppi to the border crossing between Norway and Russia at Storskog in Sør-Varanger. Between Murmansk and Raja Jooseppi, a side road runs north to the Russian town of Nikel, which is only a few tens of kilometers from Storskog. This road was improved in the late 1990s with money from Norway, because the main road between Kirkenes and Murmansk was closed for periods due to military activity. The Raja Jooseppi border crossing in Lapland is now the only one open between Finland and Russia. Photo: AFP But so far the Norwegian authorities have noticed little to no increase in traffic from Russia over Storskog. – It has been low and normal, chief of staff in the Finnmark police district, Tarjei Sirma-Tellefsen, tells news Finnmark. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on Wednesday that Norway is prepared to close the border, should there be a new flow of refugees. Will the border open for Christmas? On Thursday, YLE reports that the borders can be opened until Christmas, or 23 December. The deputy head of the Finnish border guard, Markku Hassanen, says that the situation is being assessed continuously, and that reopening the border will be assessed based on how the situation develops. The EU’s body for monitoring the borders within the Schengen cooperation, Frontex, announced on Thursday that they are sending 50 border guards to help Finland in the situation the country has found itself in. In addition, equipment, including cars, will also be sent to Finland.
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Finland closes the borders – Norway is prepared for a refugee flow – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
