We found out what kind of conversation the authorities have with the arrivals in Estonia and Finland.
Rain School,
Raimo Torikka
TALLINN/ SALLA The pattern that became familiar on Finland’s eastern border was repeated on Thursday in the northeastern Estonian city of Narva. Citizens of third countries arrived at the border crossing from Russia.
The Russian border authorities had let them continue to the Estonian side, although no Schengen visas or residence permits were found.
Persons possibly trying to cross the border had been seen elsewhere in the vicinity of the border crossing points on the Russian side of the border, the Minister of the Interior of Estonia Lauri Läänemets told a news conference on Thursday. Läänemets characterized the phenomenon as a hybrid attack.
Twelve of those who came to the Narva border station on Thursday were Somali citizens, seven were Syrian citizens, said the head of the Estonian Police and Border Agency Egert Belichev Estonian public radio company ERR on a news broadcast.
According to Belichev, none of those who came to the Narva border crossing on Thursday applied for asylum.
It is amazing when several hundreds of asylum seekers have arrived at the Finnish-Russian border around the same time in the last few days.
Estonia is bound by the same international agreements as Finland. The need for international protection must be determined if those who come to the border request it.
We asked Estonia and Finland how to find out the intentions of the arrivals.
In Estonia, “you don’t put a spoon in your mouth”
Spokesperson for the Estonian Border Guard Kaarel Kallas states to that “international protection is not imposed on Estonia’s borders”.
– Not that [turvapaikkaa] to shove a spoon into anyone’s mouth, says Kallas.
In practice, it means that if the person himself does not want or understand to apply for asylum, the border guards will not ask about it.
The communication of the Estonian border guard confirmed to on Friday that the Somalis and Syrians who arrived in three different groups said their goal was to “get to Europe”. When the entry requirements were not met, the conversion decision was accepted without applying for asylum.
In Finland, we ask and interpret
How about applying for asylum at the Finnish border?
– Some of the arrivals express their desire to apply for asylum or some other protection, possibly. Some, on the other hand, may be those who can’t or don’t know how to do it, says the guard officer at the Salla border station Aki Mikkola.
When a person is unable to express an issue, the authorities find out what kind of process he belongs to, says Mikkola.
– Then the authorities interpret and make observations about what kind of process a person belongs to. Is he a potential asylum seeker, or someone else in need of protection, or is it something else.
According to Mikkola, the purpose of the trip should be asked if it is not clear otherwise.
By Friday afternoon, no more people trying to cross the border from Russia had arrived at Estonian border checkpoints. Meanwhile, 80 asylum seekers had arrived at Finland’s southeastern border stations by afternoon.