Estonian formin: Our strong recommendation is to avoid travel to Russia

Estonian-Russian border in Narva. Photo: Konstantin Sednev

At the regular government press briefing on Thursday, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna made a strong recommendation to everyone to refrain from traveling to Russia, saying that if Estonia were to decide to close its borders with Russia, there would be no way back for such people to Estonia.

Tsahkna said Finland has been under a migration attack organized by Russia already for some time.

«Russia is making active propaganda where the refugees are coming from, that it is possible to get into the EU via Finland, and is helping them get to the border,» Tsahkna said, adding that the pressure has become quite intense and is constant.

The minister said Russia is using innocent people who pay money for their journey as human weapons, while not caring a bit about these people. This activity is especially cruel given the fact that we have winter and harsh subzero temperatures outside.

«Finland has decided to close all border crossing points by now. Russia meanwhile may be keen for there to be a loss of life, in order to use it for propaganda,» Tsahkna noted.

He said Finland has every right to defend its territory and its border and that their actions comply with all international standards.

«We are ready to provide Finland with all practical assistance, and we are also ready to close our borders with Russia if necessary,» Tsahkna said, stressing that if Estonia closes its border with Russia, those on the other side will not be able to return to Estonia.

«Therefore, I have a very clear recommendation not to travel to Russia,» he added.