Helsinki: Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has stated that Helsinki will investigate whether the presence of Russia's consulate on the demilitarised Aland Islands is legal under international treaties. Since the middle of the 19th century, the archipelago in the Baltic Sea has enjoyed a special status.  

Niinisto said at a forum on Sunday in Helsinki that it was crucial to pay close attention to whether the consulate continues to play its role. The president continued by stating that he had "asked for clarification on what is the legal status of that consulate in international agreements." 

Following a three-month war with Finland, Moscow opened a consulate in Mariehamn, the regional capital of Aland, in 1940.

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Finland gave up its long-held policy of non-alignment and submitted an application to join NATO last year, citing the dangers posed by Russia's military operation in Ukraine, which began in February 2022. 

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In April, Finland formally joined the US-led alliance as its third-last member. At the time, the Kremlin declared that NATO's continued expansion was "an encroachment on our security" and promised to take "countermeasures." Russia has previously stated that it sees the NATO expansion as a threat.

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