In the A-studio, the Minister of the Interior did not give a more precise schedule for how long the eastern border is going to be held.
Päivi Suikkanen,
I guess Jaskari
Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen (ps.) does not consider it possible for the border stations to be opened at this stage. The government’s decision on extending the border closure is expected this week.
– This is what we saw in December, what about it [rajan avaamisesta] followed. It’s not a good idea to set fire to your fur a second time, Rantanen described in the A-studio on Monday.
According to Rantanen, the situation on Finland’s eastern border has not changed at all.
– There are a considerable number of people waiting on the other side of the border. On the other hand, Russia’s actions do not seem to have changed, the minister sums up.
Finland’s eastern border has been continuously closed for almost two months. The eastern border is closed according to the valid decision until Sunday, February 11.
Rantanen did not give a timetable for the continuation of the border closure. According to him, by closing the borders, the government primarily takes care of national and citizens’ security.
– We will not bend in the face of such pressure. The border closure will continue as long as necessary. We wish there was an end to this kind of thing in sight, but so far there isn’t.
Member of Parliament, member of the Constitutional Law Committee Anna Kontula (left) regrets that the government’s border decision is partly based on secret materials.
– I consider it problematic that even such a big social decision is made on the basis of material that cannot be generally evaluated, and that cannot really be discussed by citizens.
The goal of the temporary closure of the border crossing points has been to stop illegal immigration at the eastern border.
The closure of the official border crossings has not quieted down the eastern border completely. In January, a total of 33 people entered Finland illegally across the land border from Russia.
According to information from the Border Guard, there are still hundreds or even thousands of third-country nationals on the Russian side of the border who want to come to Finland without proper documents.
The story will be updated.
Watch Monday’s A-studio at Areena.