Finnish authorities will close the border with Russia again - after being open for one day. The Finnish government plans to close the Niirala and Vaalimaa checkpoints, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said. According to journalists of the Finnish publication Helsingin Sanomat, the reason is a new influx of Arabic-speaking asylum seekers trying to enter Finland. As Yle wrote, as soon as the border post was opened, asylum seekers immediately started arriving at it. According to Finnish border guards, 24 people have asked for asylum at one checkpoint since it opened today, and two more at another. On December 12, the authorities decided to open the border posts of Vaalimaa and Niirala, one in Eastern Finland and the other in Northern Karelia. This decision was to remain in force until January 14. 900 asylum seekers from nations such as Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen entered Finland from Russia in November, an increase from less than one per day previously, according to the Border Guard.
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