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Finland-Russia cooperation key to combating illegal migration: Finnish minister

Xinhua, January 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Close cooperation between Finland and Russia is essential for fighting illegal migration, Finnish Minister of Interior Petteri Orpo said in a press conference on Wednesday.

Orpo met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Kolokoltsev in Vantaa, southern Finland, on Tuesday evening. Among the main issues discussed were closer cooperation between the two countries to prevent illegal migration and related crimes.

Orpo said both Finland and Russia want to solve the problem primarily on a bilateral basis, even though Finland's eastern border with Russia is also the Schengen area's external frontier.

The Finnish minister said talks would continue Friday when Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila meets with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Russia.

In the past few months, nearly 1,000 persons crossed the Finnish-Russian border to enter Finland without a Schengen visa. The Finnish Border Guard estimated that number will rise to 7,500 in 2016.

Recently, several Finnish authorities have gone public with their suspicion that the transfer of asylum seekers from Russia to Finland is an organized effort, according to the Finnish national broadcaster Yle. Enditem