HELSINKI: The Finnish border guard said on Friday more than 200 asylum seekers have entered Finland from Russia since the Nordic country reopened some border crossings on Thursday to allow travel between the two countries after a two-week total closure.

The Finnish government had said on Thursday it would again shut the border from 1800 GMT on Friday, this time for one month, after the inflow of asylum seekers restarted as soon as the border restrictions were relaxed.

Some 900 asylum seekers from Pakistan, Kenya, Morocco, Somalia, Syria and Yemen entered Finland from Russia last month, an increase from less than one per day previously.

Helsinki says the inflow of asylum seekers arriving via Russia is an orchestrated move by Moscow in retaliation for Finland’s decision to increase defence cooperation with the United States. The Kremlin denies this.

The arrivals stopped when Finland shut the border late last month, but resumed on Thursday when two of the eight crossings were reopened.

In a letter published on Monday, the Council of Europe said it was “concerned about the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants” following the temporary border closure, and asked Finland to ensure it remained possible to seek protection.

Interior Minister Mari Rantanen, who represents the anti-immigration Finns Party, said there was no cause for human rights concerns, however, as asylum could be sought at other entry points.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2023