STOCKHOLM, July 28./TASS/. Finland’s Consulate General in St. Petersburg will close the customer service as of September 1 due to the revocation of the consent to its operation in Russia, the Finnish Foreign Ministry reported.

"On 6 July 2023, Russia announced the closure of Finland’s Consulate General in St Petersburg as of 1 October 2023. Consequently, the customer service at the Consulate General will close as of 1 September 2023," it said in a press release.

"The St Petersburg office of the Visa Facilitation Services Global (VSF) will not receive applications for visas and residence permits to Finland as of 1 August 2023," the release said.

The ministry specified that as of 1 September 2023, "Finland’s Embassy in Moscow will take on the duties for consular and immigration matters previously handled in St Petersburg."

Finland decided to withdraw its consent for the operation of the Russian consulate general in Turku starting October 1, 2023, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto’s office said in a press release on July 19. This was a response to Russia’s announcement earlier of the decision to close Finland’s Consulate General in St. Petersburg.

On July 6, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the ministry had summoned Finnish Ambassador to Moscow Antti Helantera so that it could 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, and would expel nine Finnish diplomats.