Summary of the case: • The Finnish authorities have announced that four out of nine border stations with Russia will be closed due to an increase in asylum seekers.• Norway will also close its border stations with Russia if necessary, according to Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl.• Despite the increase in asylum seekers in Finland, there has not been a corresponding increase in border crossings from Russia to Norway.• Finnish media reports that asylum seekers are being diverted to Storskog, but none have yet arrived at the Norwegian border station.• Norwegian authorities, including the Finnmark police district, are closely monitoring on the situation and is prepared to handle a possible increase in asylum seekers.• In 2015, Sør-Varanger municipality experienced a large flow of asylum seekers across the Norwegian-Russian border, but local authorities are not worried about a repeat of this situation. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Finnish authorities said on Wednesday that four out of nine border stations on the Finnish-Russian border will be closed on the night of Saturday this week. Now Norway is ready to follow suit, if you see an increase towards the Norwegian-Russian border. – We are prepared to take measures, and ultimately to close the border, if necessary, says Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl to news. The reason is that Finland has experienced a large increase in asylum seekers at their border stations. On Wednesday evening there were 75 asylum seekers at the south-eastern border crossing Lappeenranta. FINNISH BORDER: Finnish authorities say that they are experiencing a large increase in asylum seekers who want to cross the Finnish-Russian border without valid documentation. Photo: Vesa Moilanen Lehtikuva / NTB Mehl says that so far there has not been an increase in border crossings from Russia via Storskog in the same way as Finland has seen. – Throughout the autumn, we have seen very little activity over Storskog, we already have many restrictions on who can enter Norway from Russia – and that will continue. MINISTER OF JUSTICE: Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) says they are in good contact with the Finnish authorities and the situation they experience at their border crossings. Photo: Patrick da Silva Sæther / news – Why are you now releasing information that Norway is ready to close at short notice? – When Finland has seen the development they have, and has taken measures on its border, it can also affect arrivals across Storskog. I know many people are concerned that we should have good control at the border, so it is important to say it clearly now – that we have that. And then we will take even more measures if we see that there will be a change, says the Minister of Justice. The Finnish president, Sauli Niinistö, believes that Russia is sending the asylum seekers as revenge, because of the security agreement they have entered into with the United States. This is rejected by the Russian authorities. – We know that Russia is a threat to Norway. Sending migrants to other countries can be a means of action in the hybrid threat picture, therefore it has been important for us to have control over Storskog throughout, says the Minister of Justice in Norway. Tension at the border Finnish media write that asylum seekers are being redirected to Storskog, but so far none of these have arrived at the Norwegian border station. Mayor Magnus Mæland (H) is confident that the Norwegian authorities have the situation under control. – I expect the Minister of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take the steps they think are necessary when it comes to the border with Russia, that is their responsibility. BORDER MUNICIPALITY: Mayor of Sør-Varanger, Magnus Mæland (H) is not happy that one may once again experience a closed border with Russia. Photo: Kristin Humstad / news It is not the first time there has been tension around the border that separates them from their neighbors in the east. Since the war broke out in Ukraine, there has been a tense atmosphere, but many still depend on being able to cross the border. – We are a border municipality to Russia. Although the relationship with the Putin regime is virtually non-existent, we have many residents here who have friends, family and loved ones in Russia. We have a civil life here, which takes place independently of big politics, says the mayor. Mæland encourages its citizens to follow what is happening. – I ask everyone to pay close attention to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ travel advice, and to the media. Remember the crisis in 2015 In 2015, Sør-Varanger municipality experienced a violent current across the Norwegian-Russian border. A total of 5,465 asylum seekers came via “The Arctic Route”. They arrived in Murmansk by plane and train, before making the final journey towards Norway by car – and later by bicycle. The town of Kirkenes mobilized its approximately 3,500 inhabitants, and an asylum reception center had to be set up in the town. REFUGEE CRISIS: In 2015, a stream of asylum seekers came via Murmansk and into Norway. Many had paid a lot of money to be driven towards the Norwegian border, before continuing on foot or by bicycle into Norway. Photo: Nils Henrik Måsø / news The mayor is currently not nervous that the same thing could happen again. – As a municipality, we have both a dialogue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Finnmark Police District, and we have a well-planned collaboration with UDI, which has an operator here in Sør-Varanger, says Mæland. – So I’m not worried about it happening again. I firmly believe that the Norwegian government and the state of Norway have learned from 2015. In good keeping with One who also knows what a flow of refugees across the border can mean for the border municipality is chief of staff for the Finnmark police district, Tarjei Sirma-Tellefsen. Now, however, they are much better prepared if the same thing were to happen again. – We are using our experience from 2015 and the experience that the Finnish authorities are now experiencing in south-east Finland, says Sirma-Tellefsen. POLICE: Chief of Staff in Finnmark police district Tarjei Sirma-Tellefsen says the police in Finnmark will use the experience they gained in 2015, should a similar situation arise again. Photo: The police They keep a close eye on what is going on at the Norwegian-Russian border during the day. – The police in Finnmark have monitored the situation well, and we have close and good cooperation both with the central authorities and the Finnish authorities. The Norwegian authorities and the Finnmark Police District have been well informed about the situation that has been going on in Finland. When the Finnish authorities close several of their crossings from Russia on Friday, the police will see if this means that the route via Murmansk and over to Norway will become relevant for more people. – We currently have no similar situation or indications of that, but it is natural to monitor it, to see if the phenomenon moves north when Finland closes part of its border crossings. RUSSIA: Storskog border checkpoint in Sør-Varanger municipality, only 15 minutes’ drive from the center of Kirkenes. Photo: Amund Trellevik/news
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– We are prepared, says Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl – news Troms and Finnmark
