OREANDA-NEWS   Russian property owners in Finland are preparing to send a petition to President Sauli Niinisto with a request to facilitate entry into the country.

"The Russian owners in Finland are exclusively civilians seeking peace and do not pose a threat to the security of Finland," the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat quotes the words from the appeal of the Russians.

According to the authors of the petition, about 750 people have signed it at the moment. The appeal will be sent to the President in the coming days. Its main message is the request of Russian owners to ease entry restrictions.

In early July, Finland decided to tighten travel restrictions for Russian citizens. Secondary travel to and through Finland to the rest of the Schengen area will be restricted until further notice. The Foreign Ministry said that restrictions will be tightened for business travelers, students and property owners.

In the future, property owners will be required to provide grounds for personal presence in Finland. Thus, the ownership of real estate in itself is not a sufficient reason for entry, the newspaper notes.

The Russians claim that they comply with Finnish legislation and say that they do not want to question the reasons for the new entry restrictions.

According to them, they showed their desire to integrate into Finland when they purchased real estate in the country. They also note that almost all owners have close friends in Finland.