In the border region with Finland, Russia uses migrants as a means of pressure to weaken the cohesion of the European Union. Finland responds with countermeasures.
Finland has been part of NATO since April 2023, abandoning its decades-old neutrality. Since then, tensions have increased with neighboring Russia. In addition to canceling the bilateral border agreement, Russian President Vladimir Putin also announced the transfer of troops to the border area with Finland. This is also evident in this year's annual report issued by the Estonian government, which shows that Russia is planning to deploy new units near the Finnish border.
Finland has responded to Russian measures by building a border fence up to 200 kilometers long – not least to combat illegal immigration in the border area allegedly controlled by Russia. The Frankfurter Rundschau reports on this matter.
As Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen revealed in a press conference on Tuesday, the Finnish government has information that “thousands of people are waiting on the Russian side to reach Finland.” According to Rantanen, it can be assumed that more migrants will try to cross the border once temperatures rise in the spring.
inclusion
In order to adequately address the alleged Russian actions, Rantanen announced that the laws would be amended. This is intended to ensure effective border protection. These changes to the law will help “strengthen security at the border and combat any attempts to put pressure on Finland in the form of exploitative migration,” the Raantan Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The Finnish border with Russia is currently closed. According to the conservative Finnish government, this will not change until May this year after the number of migrants at the border rose rapidly at the end of 2023. According to the Finnish Border Authority, about 1,300 migrants from countries such as Yemen, Somalia and Syria tried to reach Finland via Russia between August and December 2023. Previously, only one asylum seeker applied for asylum per day on average.
Finland-Russia is Belarus-Poland
According to Armida van Rij of think tank Chatham House, Russia's strategy of using controlled migration as a means of pressure and thus undermining the cohesion of Western countries is a so-called gray zone tactic. According to van Rij, such tactics involve measures that go beyond purely political pressure, but do not clearly constitute an act of aggression. It is therefore difficult to evaluate such measures under international law.
The issue of migration is particularly ripe for dividing EU member states, as the issue is particularly polarizing within the Union. According to Van Rij, the migrants will be used “like pawns” to advance Russian interests.
Between 2021 and 2022, Belarusian Governor Alexander Lukashenko deliberately deployed migrants to the border region with Poland in order to pressure the European Union and force an end to sanctions against Belarus – but to no avail.
This time, the European Union seems better prepared for such measures. According to Van Rij, the European Union has already begun to provide personnel, equipment and financial support to Finland in order to limit the consequences of Russian measures. Finland also provides government educational programs for the Finnish population in order to make Russian measures more understandable and prevent „fake news.”
During a meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump verbally attacked his political rival Kamala Harris. „She’s really destructive,” Trump said at his Florida home, with Netanyahu in attendance. „I think her comments were disrespectful. She wasn’t very nice about Israel.”
Earlier, after meeting with Netanyahu, Vice President Harris said: “We cannot turn a blind eye to these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to be callous in the face of suffering, and I will not remain silent.”
Trump’s first meeting with Netanyahu in more than three years
trump card He said, referring to Harris, that he did not know “how a Jewish person could vote for her, but that is up to each individual.” He found their behavior “definitely disrespectful to Israel.”
The Republican also assured the Israeli prime minister of his full solidarity, the campaign team said. “If we don’t win, there will be major wars in the Middle East and maybe World War III,” Trump said. It was the first time Netanyahu and Trump had met in person since he left the White House more than three years ago.
Netanyahu praises Trump’s policy toward Israel
Netanyahu praised Trump’s qualities in the meeting Israel She added that during his term from 2017 to 2021, Netanyahu praised Trump’s mediation in the so-called Abraham Accords, the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem, the recognition of sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the killing of Iranian General Soleimani, and the termination of the nuclear agreement with Israel. Iran and Trump’s war against anti-Semitism.
Netanyahu is currently on a multi-day visit to the United States. On Wednesday, he defended Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip in a speech to the US Congress. He also reportedly discussed artificial intelligence and its impact on the economy with tech billionaire Elon Musk on the sidelines of the speech. He was welcomed on Thursday by US President Biden and Kamala Harris They were welcomed to the White House for separate talks.
hoping to reach a hostage deal
Asked by a reporter whether his visit to the United States showed progress toward a hostage deal, Netanyahu replied: „I hope so. But I think time will tell. We are certainly keen to reach (an agreement). We are working on it.”
Netanyahu added that Israel would send a team of negotiators to Rome, likely early next week. Regarding the status of negotiations over the release of the hostages still held by Hamas, he said that, in his view, there had been some movement in the talks “because of the military pressure we have applied.” “I hope there will be enough movement to complete the deal,” Netanyahu said.
In Israel, the prime minister is increasingly accused of delaying the conflict in order to avoid the collapse of his far-right government coalition, which is expected if the war ends.
During a meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump verbally attacked his political rival Kamala Harris. „She’s really destructive,” Trump said at his Florida home, with Netanyahu in attendance. „I think her comments were disrespectful. She wasn’t very nice about Israel.”
Earlier, after meeting with Netanyahu, Vice President Harris said: “We cannot turn a blind eye to these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to be callous in the face of suffering, and I will not remain silent.”
In an interview, Reinhold Messner, 79, settled scores with his sons. Now the son of the mountaineering star is coming forward – and revealing new details.
Updated as of July 25, 2024 at 2:45 PM: Reinhold Messner caused a stir in an interview last weekend. The mountaineering legend described, among other things, the early inheritance of his sons as “one of my biggest mistakes”. The 79-year-old revealed that “the question of who got more was the main focus”. But now son Simon responds: “It’s unfortunate and sad.” Bavaria Radio His father’s accusations.
He himself greatly values the inheritance he received from his father: two mountain farms in Vinschgau in South Tyrol, and he always passed this on to his father. „That’s why I fundamentally don’t understand this accusation,” says Simon Messner. He sees no similarity between the inheritance and the break in the family, which happened gradually and had other causes, says Simon Messner. Father Reinhold did not want to comment further on this topic.
After inheritance dispute: Mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner 'on the brink’
First report dated July 21, 2024: Bolzano – Mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner turns 80 in September. But things don’t always go well for Messner, especially in his old age – he recently drew attention to himself with a thoughtful Instagram post in which he wrote: “I’m coming to the end.” Now the 79-year-old is talking about the circumstances in his family. In an interview with Pharmacy Journal Miser gives insight into his relationship with his children, which was strained by his decision to leave the majority of his assets to them in his will before his death.
Reinhold Messner talks about the biggest mistake of his life – the 79-year-old was 'on the edge of the abyss’
“One of my biggest mistakes was leaving them the majority of my assets in my will before I died,” Meisner says of his children. “They don’t understand that everything was a gift and don’t appreciate my generosity.” This is very disappointing to him, especially compared to his childhood, when there was nothing to bequeath but respect and gratitude.
Meisner explains to Pharmacy Journal “We were a big family, with many brothers and sisters, and we took care of our parents when they were old. For me, it was the opposite. The moment I distributed my material inheritance to my children and my wife, the family collapsed. The question of who got more was at the forefront and I was on the edge of the abyss when I was 75 years old.
Reinhold Messner
September 17, 1944
Brixen (South Tyrol)
Member of the European Parliament (1999-2004)
Climbing Mount Everest Without Oxygen
Asked if he would like to improve the relationship again, Meisner replies, “What parent wouldn’t want to?” He stresses that each person should find their own path rather than following in the footsteps of others: “Everyone should do it. Follow their own path, go their own way.”
’I’m Coming to the End’: Reinhold Messner’s Fans Worried
Recently, Messner caused concern among fans with his Instagram post: “I’ve reached the end, this is reality,” the mountaineering legend used the words to say. Messner’s post caused great concern among some fans.
“I leave with a clear conscience and the knowledge that I was a good person, did my best, was a loving father, a good friend, and a good brother,” Meisner continued in his post. “Now it’s time to live my last dreams and love the people who mean the most to me, but most importantly, gratitude.”
Many years after his climbing career ended, Messner remains one of the world’s most famous mountaineers. He was the first person ever to climb all eight-thousanders. However, in his native South Tyrol, a different Messner has been in the spotlight in recent months: his younger brother Hubert Messner, 71, a former pediatrician who also took part in numerous expeditions, recently became health minister for the northern Italian region.
Recently, there was also a fuss about the Guinness World Records being stripped of Reinhold Messner’s record. The mountaineer spoke of „conspiracy theories”.
’Symbolic’ Consequences – EU Moves Ministerial Meeting From Budapest to Brussels
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Hungary, led by Viktor Orban, has held the presidency of the Council of the European Union since July 1.
Source: German Press Agency/Alexander Zemlianichenko
There is still a lot of anger in Brussels about Viktor Orbán’s “peace mission”: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wants to ban Budapest from the next meeting of foreign and defence ministers. But the shot could backfire.
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DrThe European Commission is drawing further conclusions from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s unilateral actions: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that upcoming meetings of foreign and defence ministers will be held in Brussels – not in the Hungarian capital Budapest.
Borrell said after a ministerial meeting in Brussels that he had taken the decision after a majority of ministers spoke out against Hungary and wanted to impose „symbolic” consequences on the country. According to Borrell, 25 foreign ministers condemned Orban’s behaviour. The Hungarian received support only from Slovakia.
But Borrell has also been heavily criticised for his uncoordinated move to cancel the Budapest meeting. “Spain does not support a boycott in the EU,” Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said. Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel called the idea of a boycott “nonsense”. Bettel said he would rather go to Budapest and express his opinion to the Hungarians. Germany, France and the Netherlands have also voiced opposition to Borrell’s proposal.
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In Brussels, it cannot be ruled out that Borrell’s boycott campaign will ultimately backfire: several ministers are now said to be staying away from the Brussels meeting on 28-30 August in protest.
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Hungary has held the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union since the beginning of July. Immediately after that visit began, Orbán made a surprise visit to Ukraine, Russia and China on a self-proclaimed “peace mission.” He also met with US presidential candidate Donald Trump. His meetings have drawn criticism from EU member states.
The European Commission had already reached its first conclusions a week ago. A Council spokesman had said that no commissioners would be sent to informal meetings of the Hungarian Council Presidency, but only senior officials. The decision was taken by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. There will also be no customary inaugural visit by the Commission to the new Council Presidency.
