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Published 25 Mar, 2024 09:24pm

Finland casts doubt on Russia’s plans to ease visa requirements for 11 states

Russia has started visa-free travel negotiations with 11 countries across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, according to the foreign ministry. But Finland has concerns over such plans given the country’s proposal to have wall along the border.

Maria Zakharova, the ministry’s spokesperson, had shared the update last week, VisaGuide reported.

The visa-free travel agreements were in discussion with the Bahamas, Barbados, Haiti, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Malaysia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Zambia.

But Finland casts doubt on Russia’s plans and linked it to the country’s plan to establish a €86 million fund, the majority of which will go for the construction of a wall along Finland’s border with Russia.

“If this is true, it’s certainly aimed at facilitating people’s access to Russia, and one reason may be this hybrid influencing and directing people towards the [Finnish] border,” Jarno Limnell, a National Coalition Party MP of Finland, told a Finnish news outlet.

He warned that such threats must be taken into account at this time. “We must remember how quickly the situation on the eastern border can change when the snow melts and spring comes. The situation on the eastern border should be taken seriously.”

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