Finnish President shocked by Russia's decision
(Baonghean.vn) - Finnish President Sauli Niinisto called the closure of the country's Consulate General in Saint Petersburg (Russia) too surprising.
Yle newspaper quoted Finnish President Sauli Niinisto as saying that the closure of the country's Consulate General in Saint Petersburg (Russia) surprised Helsinki.
“We know that many other countries have faced similar situations, and we are not the only ones. However, in the current circumstances, of course, it is a very unexpected thing,” Finnish President Sauli Niinisto admitted.
According to the Finnish leader, this decision by Moscow has taken the situation to a new direction.
President Sauli Niinisto described Russia's retaliatory measures as a "harsh and disproportionate reaction to Finland's decision to expel Russian diplomats." He said Finland was preparing to respond by closing the Russian consulate in Turku.
On July 6, in a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said: “As part of the response to the confrontational actions of the Finnish authorities, the Russian side decided to declare nine employees of the Finnish embassy in Russia and the consulate general in Saint Petersburg as persona non grata. Moscow will also close the Finnish diplomatic mission in Saint Petersburg from October 1.”
For Moscow, the policy pursued by Finland is aimed at disrupting bilateral relations, severing trade, economic and interregional ties, discriminating against Russians when issuing entry visas, and hindering the activities of Russian diplomatic missions in Finland.
