Media: Finland is not going to close the Russian consulate in the Åland Islands

The Finnish authorities are not going to close the Russian consulate in the Åland Islands, according to a story by the Finnish broadcasting corporation YLE. He is quoted by RIA Novosti.

It was previously reported that international agreements were being studied in Helsinki. Concerning the status of the Russian consulate in the Åland Islands. In addition, the country’s President Sauli Niinistö asked the Foreign Ministry to explain the situation to him.

The YLE material reports that the Finnish Foreign Ministry has come to the conclusion that the country should not try to abolish the principle of demilitarization of the Åland Islands. In addition, Helsinki considered it inappropriate to abolish the Russian consulate in Mariehamn.

At the same time, this position is argued by the fact that it will be difficult from a legal point of view to achieve changes in this issue.

Earlier it was reported that the civil initiative to close the Russian consulate in the Åland Islands received 50,150 signatures. This amount, collected in less than six months, is enough to be transferred to the Finnish parliament. The petition appeared on April 4, 2023, immediately after the republic joined NATO. As the initiators argued, “Finland is now a member of NATO,” and the Russian consulate “restricts and jeopardizes the security of the country.”

The consulate in Mariehamn (the administrative center of the autonomous region of Åland) appeared in 1940 in accordance with the Moscow Peace Treaty between the USSR and Finland. The Åland Islands were first demilitarized after the Crimean War in 1856 at peace negotiations in Paris. Demilitarization was confirmed by the League of Nations in 1921. After World War II, demilitarization was confirmed by the Paris Peace Treaty in 1947. The Consulate of the Russian Federation (formerly the USSR) has been operating in Mariehamn since 1940 and monitors compliance with the treaty on the demilitarization of the Åland Islands.