Finland to close its border to Russian tourists

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) - Finland will be shutting its border to Russian tourists at midnight local time (2100GMT), government officials announced Thursday.

"The decision aims to completely prevent the current situation of Russian tourism to Finland and the related transit through Finland, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told a news conference Thursday afternoon.

He also emphasized that allowing Russians to move freely is endangering Finland's international relations.

The border closure will reduce the number of Russians crossing to Finland significantly, he said.

The government estimated that the arrival of Russians to Finland will possibly decrease by up to 50% after the ban.

Russians will still be allowed entry for family reasons or to study and work in the country, the minister said.

Under the new rule, Russians who hold current tourist visas will no longer be able to enter the country or make a crossing to the EU once the ban is in place.

Finland has been the only EU country through which Russian tourists have reached Estonia and the rest of the Schengen region.

The ban will also prevent Russians with Schengen tourist visas from entering the country.

The Baltic States and Poland prevented Russian tourists from coming a few weeks ago and in these countries, politicians have said all Russian tourists are a security threat.

The visa ban came after long queues were formed by Russians at the Finnish border, trying to escape the partial mobilization announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he outlined his plans to deploy 300,000 military reservists.