Russia Comments on Finnish Initiative to Close Consulate in Aland

Moscow addressed the so-called civil initiative in Finland regarding the shutdown of the Russian consulate in the Aland Islands, RIA Novosti reported on Saturday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the residents of the "Aland Islands themselves do not support the idea of closing the diplomatic institution."

"Therefore, let's see how this "initiative" ends. Now it's premature to talk about something else," the ministry concluded.

Meanwhile, the country plans to continue fulfilling international legal obligations regarding the islands, both in terms of their demilitarized status and the work of the Russian consulate.

Russia asserted that it will reinforce its defenses near its 1,300km border with Finland after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the Nordic country would formally join the alliance.

Finland’s accession was “good for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole,” Stoltenberg noted. “President Putin went to war against Ukraine with the clear aim to get less NATO. He’s getting the exact opposite.”