Finland is preparing a national measure to reduce Russian tourists
MINISTER to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto (The Greens) said on Wednesday that Finland is studying national measures to curb the flow of tourists from Russia.
“Finland does not want to be a transit country [people with] visas issued by other Schengen countries. We want to get these traffic flows under control, he said quoted saying At Helsingin Sanomat’s press conference in New York, USA.
“The fear is that we will remain the only border country through which it is possible to travel from Russia to Europe with a Schengen visa issued by another country.”
Finland has already limited the availability of the tourist visas it issues to Russians. The number of visa appointments is limited to an average of 100 per day, and the appointments have only been available in Russia’s largest cities since the beginning of September. Additional national measures could be based on new legislation or the interpretation of existing regulations.
The opposition parties have long demanded the government to take measures to limit the flow of tourists from Russia. Basic Finns Riikka Purra has argued that the eastern border should be closed completely. The National Convention Petteri Orpo has assessed that the issuing of tourist visas should be stopped completely.
On Monday, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland closed their borders to Russian citizens receiving short-term Schengen visas.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Urmas Reinsalu told Helsingin Sanomat stated last week that the decision will undoubtedly increase border crossings between Russia and Finland. “All Baltic and Polish borders are closed, it’s a matter of natural logic. People are looking for other ways to cross the border,” he said.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT