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Syrian refugees in Murmansk wish to get to Norway or Finland

Storskog border station on the Norwegian-Russian borderKIRKENES.Storskog border station on the Norwegian-Russian border. : Cornelius Poppe / NTB scanpix

In Murmansk in Russia, near the border with Finland, there are now more Syrian refugees who wish to get to Norway or Finland.

The Russian website, ‘Flashnord’, writes that 100 people have been stopped so far by border guards, attempting to cross the border.

NRK news met several Syrian refugees in Murmansk who want to get over to Norway or Finland. Several of them have been given 15 days’ notice to leave Russia.

A Syrian interpreter, Nazir Ahmad, who has lived in Russia for 20 years, estimates there may be as many as 200 refugees waiting in Murmansk.

He said the Russian border guards will face a different situation to last year.

‘There’ll be many more than the estimated 200 that are in Murmansk now, if anyone succeeds in getting asylum in Finland or Norway’, predicted Ahmad.

Last autumn, 5,500 crossed the border between Norway and Russia, seeking asylum in Norway.

The asylum flow stopped when Norway and Russia agreed to modify the wording of documents that asylum seekers received from Norwegian authorities.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today