Russia terminated the cross-border cooperation agreement with Finland
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed an order to stop the agreement between Russia and Finland on promoting cross-border cooperation. Document published on the legal information portal.
It is noted that the agreement between the government of Russia and the government of the Republic of Finland was signed on April 13, 2012. According to the document, the countries contributed to “strengthening and developing cross-border cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit,” developed and implemented territorial development strategies and increased investment activity in border areas.
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The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been instructed to notify the other party of the decision.
Finland is building a fence on the border with Russia
In 2022, Finland began designing a fence on the border with Russia. According to the head of the international cooperation department of the country’s Border Guard, Matti Pitkänitti, the first structures will most likely be installed on the south-eastern border with Russia. The border guard noted that the fence must have a technical control system and passages.
In September 2023, Finland began operating a trial section of the fence on the border with Russia near the city of Imatra.
Later in October, the Finnish border guard announced that the republic would begin construction of a fence on the border with Russia in the winter of 2024. The country’s government has allocated 139 million euros this year for the construction of the fence.
139
million euros
The Finnish government allocated funds in 2023 for a fence on the border with Russia
According to border guards, this amount will be enough to build approximately 70 kilometers of barrier fencing. Of these, 52 kilometers will be in South-East Finland, where the most popular border checkpoints in terms of passenger traffic are located, eight kilometers in North Karelia and five kilometers in Kainuu and Lapland.
The President of Finland wanted to talk to Putin
On October 19, the head of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, expressed his readiness to speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin if this would help achieve peace in Ukraine. According to the politician, today there are no prerequisites for a settlement.
I don’t think he [Владимир Путин] will call now
Niinistö also expressed hope that the Ukrainian conflict will not become long and frozen. The politician believes that at the moment the situation has signs of developing “into a positional war.”
In addition, Niinistö called on the West to find a way to maintain relations with Russia. According to him, after the end of the conflict in Ukraine, trust will be needed in relations with Russia as a guarantee that “a new war is not waiting behind the door.”
I’m not talking about some great friendship, but about the ability to tolerate and even understand each other a little
The politician added that there is always life after a conflict, and there is nothing more valuable to people than peace.
At the same time, Niinisto expressed fears that Helsinki will face difficulties on the border with Russia in the future. “We will undoubtedly face difficulties in the future. This is obvious,” he said.
The President of Finland also said that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) could become a negotiating platform for Russia and Ukraine during the Finnish chairmanship in 2025.
It is possible that 2025 could coincide with a decisive moment regarding the development of the European security order
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