Alexander Stubb goes to Northwest Russia
Finland’s Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb today travels to Northwest Russia for a three days long official visit to Vyborg, St. Petersburg and Petrozavodsk.
During his visit, Stubb will meet widely with local decision-makers and authorities and with Finns active in the region, the Foreign Ministry’s web site reads.
In St. Petersburg the minister will inaugurate Finland’s new Visa Application Center. The Finnish Foreign Ministry last year decided to outsource the handling of visa applications from Russia.
Three out of every four visas granted by Finland are applied for in St. Petersburg. Last year, Finland’s Consulate General in St. Petersburg granted 751.000 visas. The number of applications rose by one-third.
Read also: Visa-friendly Finland
While in St. Petersburg, Stubb will speak at a seminar aiming to strengthen the bilateral Arctic partnership between Finland and Russia. In Petrozavodsk, Stubb will also meet with leaders of the Karelian Republic.
As BarentsObserver reported, Finland plans to strengthen its diplomatic presence in Russia and is making preparations for converting the Consulate General branch office in Murmansk, now under the auspices of the Consulate General in St. Petersburg, to a Consulate General.
