Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (Green) on Saturday said Finland has hardly been affected by Belarus' hybrid operation, which has involved the country pushing Middle Eastern migrants towards the Polish border. The EU has deemed Belarus' actions retaliatory for its sanctions against Minsk.
"The majority of those making it across the Polish border have tried to reach Germany," Haavisto said.
Germany has seen 8,400 people arriving from Belarus, whereas a few dozen have reached Finland. Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo (Green) said some 30 migrants had reached Finland via Belarus.
Speaking on Yle's Ykkösaamu show on Saturday, Haavisto refuted German newspaper Die Welt's report earlier this week that migrants were ultimately trying to reach Finland as well as Germany via Belarus.
"Finland does not know of Belarus having any other intention than driving the migrants it has transported to Minsk into the EU as part of its hybrid operation," Haavisto explained.
Finland-linked traffickers?
Haavisto did, however, not rule out the possibility of trafficking activity linked to Finland.
"It's totally possible. This could be a lucrative business for some. Human smuggling in the Mediterranean, for example, has evolved into a business. I've heard rumours that Finnish-speaking individuals have been moving around the Belarusian side of the border.
In recent days Finnish politicians, including President Sauli Niinistö, have argued that Finnish laws need updating to better deal with hybrid threats, particularly those related to migration.
On that front, Haavisto agreed with his fellow Green cabinet member Ohisalo that Finland needs to revise laws related to emergency powers.
"I think these types of modern hybrid threats are comparable to armed attack. One example is the September 11 attacks in the US: There were no guns but planes flew into buildings. Emergency powers need to be able to deal with these types of threats," he explained.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described Belarus' tactics as the instrumentalisation of migrants for political purposes.
Reacting to recent discussions on Finnish legislation, Haavisto said it wasn't wise for Finland to give the impression that its laws had loopholes.
"Finland is prepared to defend itself against all types of threats," he said, though noting that current laws were not designed to reflect a situation where people were being "used as weapons."
Haavisto did not want to speculate on how Finland's migration rules might change, instead saying it would be wise to see how the current situation develops.
EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss Belarus' actions.
