OREANDA-NEWS  The base of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Finland is almost completely destroyed due to the fault of the Finnish side, the Russian Embassy in Helsinki told Izvestia. According to the Russian diplomatic mission, Finland's accession to NATO has created "new political realities in the relations of our countries."

"By the time Helsinki joined the alliance, the base of the once close and mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation between our countries had already been almost completely destroyed by the efforts of the Finnish side. Trade and economic ties were minimized back in 2022 as a result of the actions of the Finnish leadership, which made it as difficult as possible to conduct business with Russia, including by joining the illegitimate EU sanctions," the diplomatic mission noted.

According to Rosstat, in 2021, the foreign trade turnover of Russia and Finland amounted to more than $ 13 billion. Anton Loginov, Russia's trade representative in Helsinki, predicted that by the end of 2023, the trade turnover could decrease to $4.9 billion.

Finland officially joined NATO on April 4 almost a year after submitting the relevant application. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that in connection with Finland's accession to the alliance, the situation in the Northern European region "will change dramatically." Russia's further actions in this direction will depend, among other things, on the deployment of "NATO military infrastructure" on the territory of the country, the ministry claimed.