Norway could fence part or all of its 198-kilometre (123-mile) border with Russia, a minister said, a move inspired by a similar project in its Nordic neighbor Finland.
Justice Minister Emily Anger Mehl said in an interview, “Border fencing is very interesting, not only because it can act as a deterrent, but also because it involves sensors and technology that allows you to detect where people are. “allows whether people are moving close to the border or not.” Published late Saturday night with Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.
He said the Norwegian government is currently considering “several measures” to increase security along the border with Russia in the Arctic north, such as building a fence, increasing the number of border staff or increasing surveillance.
Storskog Border Station, which has seen only a few illegal border crossing attempts over the years, is the only official crossing point from Russia into Norway.
Should the security situation in the fragile Arctic region deteriorate, the Norwegian government is prepared to close the border at short notice, said Anger Mehl, who visited neighboring Finland this summer to learn that the entire 1,340 kilometer ( 830 miles) Finnish-Russian land border closed.
The Finnish government was prompted to close all crossing points from Russia to Finland in late 2023 after more than 1,300 third-country migrants entered the country in three months without proper documentation or visas – an unusual figure. A higher number than the nation – a member of NATO just a few months after becoming a nation.
To prevent Moscow from using migrants in what the Finnish government calls Russia’s “hybrid war”, Helsinki is currently constructing a fence with a total length of up to 200 kilometers (124 mi) in separate sections along the border area. is building which is part of NATO’s northern wing. and serves as the external border of the European Union.
Finnish border officials say the fences equipped with top-level surveillance equipment – which are located mostly around crossing points – will better monitor and control any migrants attempting to cross from Russia and give authorities time to respond. are required to give.
Inspired by the project in Finland, Anger Mehl said such a fence could be a good idea for Norway as well. According to NRK, her statement was supported by Ellen Katrin Hutta, the police chief in Norway’s northern Finnmark county.
“This is a measure that could be relevant on the entire border between Norway and Russia or on part of it,” Anger Mehl said.
Storskog border station is currently surrounded by a 200 m (660 ft) long and 3.5 m (12 ft) high fence, which was built after about 5,000 migrants and asylum seekers crossed from Russia to Norway in 2016. year ago.
Norway, with a population of 5.6 million, is a member of NATO but not part of the European Union. However, it belongs to the Schengen Area of the European Union, whose participants have abolished border controls on their mutual borders, guaranteeing the free movement of citizens.