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Finnish Parliament Backs Costly Fence Along Border With Russia

Sputnik News

20221020
Igor Kuznetsov

The border fence is bound to set a new symbolic low in Russian-Finnish relations, cancelling decades of vibrant economic cooperation and buoyant trade. The relations, once mutually beneficial, were badly damaged by Finland hopping on the Western sanctions bandwagon.

All parties in the Finnish Parliament are in agreement about the "necessity" to build a fence along parts of the 1,300-kilometer land border between Finland and Russia, Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP), herself an eager supporter of the idea, has said after debates on the infrastructure project proposed by the Finnish Border Guard.

The Finnish government, Marin said, will set aside funding for a test section of the fence in a supplementary budget later this year and funding for the broader project based on experiences from the test section in a supplementary budget next year.

The Finnish Border Guard proposed earlier this autumn that a fence be built along 10-20 percent of the eastern border, especially in areas near designated border-crossing points, and cover up to 260 kilometers. Previously, south-eastern Finland, which borders Russia's Leningrad Oblast, was identified as the most likely part of the country to host the fence, due to the highest cross-border traffic.

Interior Minister Krista Mikkonen of the Greens Party emphasized that ascertaining parliamentary support for the project was crucial due to the expected duration of the project and the looming April 23 parliamentary elections. She emphasized that the project would take several years to complete, which warrants the commitment of the next government.

The opposition, including the center-right National Coalition Party (NCP) and the nationalist Finns Party, backed the project, while voicing their bafflement with estimates that it would take wholly three to four years to complete. NCP leader Petteri Orpo called to "make haste" and fence up critical areas faster, once the test section is deemed good.

However, the fence will make a substantial dent in the Finnish budget. The Interior Ministry proposed earmarking 139 million euros for the main phase of the project, coupled with 6 million euros for the test section. The funding covers the fence as such, together with monitoring technology, road infrastructure and land acquisitions.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously mocked the border fence in her Telegram account. "Will that be palisade, corrugated board or lath?", she wrote.

The fence is bound to further damage Finland's once mutually beneficial relationship with Russia that since the Soviet era included lively trade and vibrant economic cooperation. Following the start of Moscow's special operation in Ukraine, Helsinki joined the West in several rounds of sanctions against Russia, all but stifling cross-border economic activity. As an indicator of trade nosediving, the Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce has been rebranded as EastCham Finland in order to embrace Central Asia, the South Caucasus and Eastern Europe.

Finland has also restricted travel, throttled the issuance of visas and shut down its border for Russian tourists. While bearing mostly symbolic value, this move has had an economic impact as numerous border communities have made a living off of Russian visitors and shoppers.

© Sputnik