Finnish President Sauli Niinistö considers the closure of the Consulate General in St. Petersburg by Russia as a new dimension in the aggravated relations with the eastern neighbor. According to local media, according to the Finnish president, Moscow’s decision to expel nine employees of the Finnish embassy in Moscow in response to the expulsion of employees of the Russian embassy in Helsinki was in line with expectations. However, the announcement of the closure of the Consulate General in St. Petersburg was “a completely new discovery.”
Niinistö stressed that this is no longer “a retaliatory measure” for Finland – “Russia has opened up a completely different dimension.”
The President did not specify what countermeasures Finland could prepare, however, according to media reports, one of such measures could be the closure of the Russian consulate in the Åland Islands.
It should be noted that Russia maintains a consulate in the Aland Islands, whose competence, in addition to consular functions, includes verification of the fulfillment of obligations on the demilitarization of the Aland Islands.
Recently, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia is withdrawing its consent to the activities of the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg. The Russian side also expels nine employees of the Finnish embassy in Russia.
Source: Rosbalt
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