Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced that the country insists that the European Union find common measures to prevent "instrumentalized migration", i.e. the influx of migrants arriving from Russia without valid travel documents, quoted by "Reuters" and News.bg.
Finland closed its border with Russia last year to stem rising migrant arrivals from countries such as Syria and Somalia, and has accused Moscow of using migration as a weapon against it and the European Union - a claim the Kremlin denies.
However, some migrants continue to arrive in the Scandinavian country. For this reason, the Finnish government today tabled a proposal in parliament that would allow border officials to turn back asylum seekers trying to enter the country from Russia.
"We must put our national security and the security of EU countries first. "We are fully aware of our responsibilities to control the external border of the European Union," Orpo stressed.
In 2023, Finland angered Russia by abandoning its long-standing military non-alignment and joining NATO in response to Russian forces invading Ukraine. In addition, the country has signed a bilateral defense pact with the United States.
The bill, proposed by the right-wing ruling coalition, recognizes that sending migrants back to Russia without processing their asylum claims would violate Finland's international human rights commitments, but specifies that its implementation will be temporary and limited.
It will require 5/6 of the votes in parliament - the high requirement in constitutional matters - to pass and success is not guaranteed.
The bill would allow border officials to turn back migrants entering from Russia, with or without the use of force. However, it will not apply to children and people with disabilities, whose asylum applications Finland will continue to accept.
According to border guards, fewer than 40 migrants have crossed the border from Russia this year since Finland closed its land crossings, compared to about 1,300 last year. Only one rail crossing remains open, for cargo only.
Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia.