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Helsinki may close Russia’s Turku consulate in response to expulsion of Finnish diplomats

On June 6, the Finnish government announced the expulsion of nine employees of the Russian embassy in Helsinki whom the Finnish authorities accused of being involved in intelligence activities

STOCKHOLM, July 6. /TASS/. Finland may shutter the Russian consulate in Turku in a tit-for-tat response to Moscow’s decision to close the Finnish consulate general in St. Petersburg and expel Helsinki’s diplomats, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said on Thursday.

"We are working on retaliatory measures. Closing the Russian consulate in Turku would be an equal response to the closure of the St. Petersburg consulate general," he wrote on Twitter.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the ministry had summoned Finnish Ambassador to Moscow Antti Helantera to deliver a strong protest against Helsinki’s anti-Russian policy. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that, in response to Finland’s anti-Russian policy course, Moscow would revoke its consent to the operation of Finland’s consulate general in the city of St. Petersburg, effective October 1.

On June 6, the Finnish government announced the expulsion of nine employees of the Russian embassy in Helsinki whom the Finnish authorities accused of being involved in intelligence activities.

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Foreign policy Finland

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