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Finland to speed up fence construction along Russian border, says Interior Minister

Mari Rantanen pointed out that construction efforts would be expedited and that the fence should "definitely" be built as soon as possible

STOCKHOLM, December 1. /TASS/. Finland, which has already embarked on a building frenzy along the Russian border in hopes of completing the barrier fence by 2026, now intends to expedite this process, Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said during a parliamentary debate, as cited by Helsingin Sanomat.

According to the newspaper, members of the parliament have brought up the issue of migrants arriving through the border with Russia. Antti Kaikkonen, an MP and former defense minister, asked whether the construction of the barrier could be accelerated, since, in his opinion, 2026 is too "far away" for the fence to be erected, the newspaper said.

Rantanen said in response that construction efforts would be expedited and that the fence should "definitely" be built as soon as possible, the daily reported.

Meanwhile, Ismo Kurki, the project manager and a representative of the Finnish Border Guard, said that expediting construction would require additional funding.

It is expected that about 200 kilometers of fence will be built on Finland’s eastern border with Russia from 2024 to 2026. Most of the fence will run along the southeastern section of the border.

Finland has closed all its checkpoints on the border with Russia until December 13.

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