In his meeting with Andrei Nelidov, Head of Karelian Republic, Putin confirmed that the Syuvyaoro border station will be included in the list of border objects to be given priority, a press release from the regional administration reads. The meeting, Putin’s first with a regional leader after his 4th March Presidential election victory, was held in Moscow on the 11 March.
Karelian authorities have long worked for the upgrade of the border checkpoint, which until now has only served the forestry trade between the two countries. Plans for the upgrade of the station to a fully-fledged checkpoint for personell traffic, have been developed by the regional administration together with the Finnish municipality of Parikkala since the late 1990s.
The upgrade of the station was first enlisted among the priorities of the Russian Federal Border Programme 2003-2010, but was then taken out of the list in 2009 because of the financial crisis. On the Finnish side, the upgrade of the border pass has had the necessary national support since 2008, Wikipedia informs.
The Russian Customs Service now confirms that the Syuvyaoro station will get status as international border checkpoint for regular personnel transport by year 2017, DP.ru reports.
It is believed that the upgraded checkpoint will ease pressure on the nearby Torfyanovka and Brusnichnoye stations. It is also believed that the Syuvyaoro station will provide people in Sankt Petersburg with an improved access point to Finnish holiday resorts in central and northern Finland.
