According to ‘s sources, the investigation ordered into the matter is still in progress, but the officials would maintain the current situation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has concluded that Finland should not try to dismantle the demilitarization of Åland and to abolish the Russian consulate in Mariehamn.
Demilitarization means that Åland will not be equipped militarily. The consulate is one of the Russian representations in Finland.
According to ‘s independent sources, the ministry’s position is based on the fact that changing the current situation would be legally difficult.
President Sauli Niinistö has ordered a report on the matter, which is being prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The report is only in the consultation phase, and the completion date is not known.
At the political level, the issue has not yet been discussed, so the government does not have a position on the matter. However, a citizen’s initiative has been made regarding the abolition of the consulate, which will be considered by the parliament.
The closure of the Åland consulate was the subject of a public debate in the summer, when Russia closed the offices of the Finnish consulate in St. Petersburg in Murmansk and Petrozavodsk.
After this, Russia closed the Finnish Consulate General in St. Petersburg, and Finland responded by closing the Russian Consulate General in Turku.
The location of the consulate in a geopolitically important area has caused concern in Finland, because Russia has the right to monitor demilitarization.
Åland’s status is bound by three international agreements
Åland’s position is exceptional, as demilitarization has been confirmed in several state treaties.
For the first time it was recorded in a peace treaty in 1856 after the Crimean War. The next time the matter was confirmed in the 1920s, when it was agreed that Åland would belong to Finland.
The third time the issue was agreed upon after the Winter War, and it was written into the post-World War II treaties. In the same context, it was also written into the treaty that the Soviet Union can keep a consulate in Åland.
According to ‘s sources, the position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not completely set in stone. However, it has been decided because Finland supports a rules-based system in which state agreements are adhered to. Åland’s status is bound by so many international agreements that its dissolution would be complicated.
If Finland decided unilaterally not to comply with the agreement, Russia would probably respond to the solution.
According to ministry sources, Sweden also wants to stick to demilitarization. has not yet received a response to a request for comment from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
President Niinistö did not comment on the matter to .
You can discuss the topic until tomorrow, October 4. until 11 p.m
correction: 3.10. at 19:30 corrected that the Soviet Union can have a consulate in Åland, previously the sentence read Russia.