Finland is planning to retaliate after Russia on Thursday announced the expulsion of nine diplomats and ordered the closing of Finland’s consulate in St. Petersburg.
(Bloomberg) — Finland is planning to retaliate after Russia on Thursday announced the expulsion of nine diplomats and ordered the closing of Finland’s consulate in St. Petersburg.
The Kremlin’s measures are “harsh and asymmetrical” and mean Finland is preparing a diplomatic response of a similar magnitude, President Sauli Niinisto said in a message posted on Twitter after consultation with leaders of the ruling parties. He noted that Russia’s consulate in Turku on Finland’s southwestern coast is the counterpart to Finland’s St. Petersburg mission.
The newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, with 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) of border with Russia, Finland in June expelled nine people working at the embassy of Russia. They were “members of intelligence personnel,” the government said, adding that their actions are in breach of the Vienna Convention that sets out uniform principles for conducting diplomatic relations. Finland has not ordered the closing of any of Russia’s diplomatic missions in the country.
Speaking to reporters in Helsinki, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said “it’s crystal clear” the move “will worsen relations between Finland and Russia.”
“I’m worried it will cause less dialog,” he said, but added, “we have chosen our side: we are on Ukraine’s side and we have joined NATO. One day, when the war is over and there’s a new order in Russia, we could perhaps rebuild diplomatic relations.”
Finland is also reviewing the legal status of Russia’s consulate in the Aland islands that is intended for monitoring the archipelago’s demilitarized status, after a public outcry demanding that the mission be closed.
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