Finland Tells Russia to Close Its Consulate, Intensifying Spat

Finland told Russia to close its consulate on the southeastern coast, deepening a diplomatic dispute between the neighbors.

(Bloomberg) — Finland told Russia to close its consulate on the southeastern coast, deepening a diplomatic dispute between the neighbors.

The Nordic country is withdrawing consent for Russia to operate its consulate general in Turku as of Oct. 1, the government said in a statement on Wednesday. The Russian ambassador has been notified, it said.

The move is a response to a Russian decision to close Finland’s consulate in St. Petersburg as of Oct. 1. Both countries have in recent weeks also expelled each others’ diplomats, and Finnish missions in Russia have had difficulties with their bank accounts.

Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in early April, doubling the length of alliance’s border with Russia. The decision to enter the bloc was prompted by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

While many European countries are engaged in similar tit-for-tat disputes with Russia, the issue is severe for Finland, which has a land border of more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) with its former Czarist overlord with whom it has had two wars in the past century. Finland is preparing to build a fence on certain sections of the demarcation.

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