Finnish Consul wants to establish easier Visa regime in Saint-Petersburg

The new Finnish Consul General to St. Petersburg Olli Perheentupa says his main goal is to ease the mobility of people between Russia and Finland as much as possible. Although currently the most frequently obtained Finnish visa is valid for six or twelve months, certain categories of citizens, such as journalists, students, businessmen or cultural representatives can already get a visa that lasts for up to two years. However, in the future the Consulate would like to issue visas that are valid for longer than they are now to Russians in other categories.
Olli Perheentupa is known as an expert on Russia thanks to his previous work experience in the country. Between 1994-1997 he worked as a deputy for Consul General in St. Petersburg, and between 1997-2000 he was a counselor of the Finnish Embassy in Moscow. In his last position Olli Perheentupa headed the Unit for Russia at the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Finland.
Olli Perheentupa says Finland welcomes the business it gets from Russians investing in tourism on the coasts of Finnish lakes. Of 7.2 million crossings over the Russian-Finnish border each year, more than 70 percent are made by Russian citizens.
Therefore the mutual facilitation of the issuing of visas is one of the Consulate’s priorities. The Consul is currently works on his plan for the following four years. Among the problems that the two countries share, Olli Perheentupa named the traffic jams at the Russian-Finnish border, problems with ports, the presence of customs crime and the smuggling of drugs across the border. Consul said both sides currently put a lot of effort in solving those issues but there is still more to be done.