Finland to close Russian Consulate General office in Turku
Finland is to close a Russian consulate in the Western city of Turku, public broadcaster Yle reports.
The Finnish government made the announcement on Wednesday, adding it will formally withdraw consent to the Russian Federation operating its Consulate General office in Turku with effect from October 1 this year, Yle reports on its English-language page.
The decision followed consultations between President Sauli Niinistö and members of the ministerial committee on foreign security policy, Yle reports, and was a response to a Russian announcement earlier this month that Finland's Consulate General in St Petersburg will be closed from October 1 – a move Helsinki described "asymmetric."
The Finnish government said its foreign ministry has formally notified the Russian Ambassador to Finland about the decision.
President Niinistö and the committee also discussed Russia's consulate on the Åland/Ahvenanmaa islands, a semi-autonomous zone in a strategic location, halfway between the Finnish mainland and Sweden.
More detailed legal analysis of this state of affairs is ongoing, Yle reports.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
Source: Yle
