Finland moves to block asylum seekers from entering via Russia
Al Jazeera
The Nordic nation closed all border crossings with Finland last year after registering a surge in asylum seekers.
Finland plans to adopt temporary legislation that will allow its border authorities to block asylum seekers seeking to enter its territory from Russia, the government has said.
Finland closed all crossings on its 1,340km (830-mile) border with Russia late last year amid a growing number of arrivals who did not possess valid documents to enter the European Union.
However, asylum seekers have continued to arrive, and the government believes the numbers could rise significantly with the advent of spring and a rise in temperatures.
Helsinki accuses Moscow of funnelling migrants to the border, a claim the Kremlin has denied.
“Finland has been the target of instrumentalised migration … Russian authorities have not only failed to intervene in this phenomenon but have even facilitated it,” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Friday.
