Finland has recently become a transit country. Travelers head to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to fly on. This is seen as bypassing travel restrictions – admitted the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the morning program of the Yle television.
Haavisto emphasized that a common EU solution is needed in the matter of visas for Russians. The countries that issue the highest number of Schengen visas are Greece, Italy and Spain; it is on visas granted in these countries that the Russians travel through Finland to Europe.
See also: Germany will not support a visa ban for Russians. “You have to remember about refugees”
The Finnish government will meet on Tuesday to start a discussion on the possibilities and scale of restrictions on the number of visas issued to Russians, for example, up to one fifth or even one tenth of the current level.
Currently, the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs grants Russians about 1,000 visas a day. In July, Finnish and Russian authorities lifted the coronavirus restrictions related to cross-border traffic. Before the pandemic, it was at the level of 3-6 thousand. daily.
See also: These data show that the sanctions against Russia are paying off
“It’s not okay for Russians to travel, come to the Schengen area and enjoy the tourist attractions at the same time as Russia kills people in Ukraine“Said Prime Minister Sanna Marin after the meeting of the heads of governments of the Nordic countries on Monday in Oslo.
The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, was against the introduction of restrictions on visas for Russians. According to him, “this is Putin’s war, not of Russian citizens.”
See also: Russians are dismantling operational planes. An airline’s black dream is coming true