In the wake of the migrant crisis at the Finnish-Russian border, neighbouring Estonia said it will not let migrants sent by Russia onto its soil but will stop them at the border, Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets said on Thursday.
The Estonian authorities said they were surprised that none of the border crossers from Russia were applying for asylum. In contrast, those who have cycled to Finnish border crossings have applied for asylum in large numbers.
The explanation lies in the different practices of the Finnish and Estonian border authorities, according to Läänemets.
“In Finland, they can reach the border crossing, but in Estonia, they are stopped at the state border. So they can’t get onto Estonian soil,” Läänemets told the media.
It is, therefore, easier to stop new arrivals at the border in Estonia, as most attempts to enter the country are concentrated in the north-eastern Estonian city of Narva, where the border between Estonia and Russia runs along a hundred-metre-wide river, with the only crossing point being the Narvajoki Bridge.
A total of 30 people have tried to reach Estonia in the last seven days, leading authorities to fear a repeat of last week’s events on the Finnish-Russian border.
The border authorities follow the overall assessment on the bridge, Veiko Kommusaar, border director of the Police and Border Agency PPA, told Yle.
If newcomers appear to be part of an operation orchestrated by the Russian authorities, they will be stopped at the border and not even allowed to enter Estonia to apply for asylum.
“For humanitarian reasons, we would not leave women, children or the elderly to freeze at the border,” said Kommusaar.
Furthermore, Estonia is ready to close its borders if Finland’s decision creates pressure, but has not decided to close the border crossings on its eastern border because the situation is not considered serious enough.
“If Finland’s decision to close most of its border crossings increases the pressure on the Estonian border, we will reconsider the situation”, said Läänemets at a government press conference on Thursday.
According to Läänemets and Kommusaar, the Estonian Border Agency is ready to close the borders if necessary and has stockpiled concrete barriers and barbed wire at border crossings.
“But we will not close the border just for the sake of closing it,” Läänemets added.
(Charles Szumski | Euractiv.com)
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