STOCKHOLM, April 4. /TASS/. Finland’s Foreign Ministry has made a decision to suspend operations at its consulate general in Petrozavodsk in Russia’s northwest, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The Foreign Ministry has decided to temporarily suspend operations in the St. Petersburg consulate general’s office in Petrozavodsk," according to the statement. The Finnish Foreign Ministry said it had no need to maintain a presence in Petrozavodsk for the time being as its tasks in the region have shrunk significantly. The operations will be resumed if the need arises, the ministry added.

The Finnish Consulate General’s office in Petrozavodsk opened in 1990. It handled immigration issues, and assisted in the development of bilateral relations and interregional and transborder cooperation.

Earlier this year, Finland made a similar decision regarding its Consulate General’s office in Murmansk where operations were suspended until further notice.