Norwegian authorities are reported to be thinking about building a fence along the border with Russia, according to Minister of Justice and Public Security Emilie Enger Mehl.
Any such proposal would come amid growing geopolitical tensions between the West and Russia, with the latter widely believed to be pushing migrant crossings as a means to pressure Western countries.
“A border fence is very interesting, not only because it can act as a deterrent but also because it contains sensors and technology that allow you to detect if people are moving close to the border,” Enger Mehl said in an interview with the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK on September 28.
She stated that the Norwegian government was considering “several measures” to strengthen security along its Arctic border with Russia, including building a fence, increasing border personnel and enhancing surveillance efforts.
Currently, there is one official border station between both nations, the Storskog station, where until now the number of illegal border crossings has remained low. At the site there is a 200-metre-long fence, standing 3.5 metres high.
Enger Mehl said if the security situation in the sensitive Arctic region deteriorated, the Norwegian government was prepared to close the border at short notice.
Norway shares a 198-kilometre border with Russia in the high north of Europe.
Enger Mehl visited neighbouring Finland during the summer to observe how the country effectively sealed its entire 1,340-kilometre land border with Russia.
Finland started constructing its fence in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and Moscow. It has since then believed Russia to have used migration as a weapon against the Finns as part of a perceived “hybrid war.”
In November 2023, more than 600 people without valid travel documents arrived in Finland from Russia, despite temperatures plunging to minus 20°C. Finnish authorities said they suspected those asylum seekers were deliberately sent by Russia in retaliation for Finland’s decision to join NATO.
Finnish authorities fear a new influx of immigrants at several points along its border with Russia as part of what they see as the “hybrid war” Moscow is encouraging against the West.
Read more at https://t.co/J0LHp8uzmF pic.twitter.com/KcBhD5jPl5
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) June 12, 2024
Inspired by Finland’s initiative, Enger Mehl suggested that building a similar fence could be a viable option for Norway as well. According to NRK, her proposal was backed by Ellen Katrine Hætta, the police chief of Norway’s northern Finnmark county.
“It’s a measure that may become relevant on all or part of the border” between Norway and Russia, Enger Mehl said.
Norway is a member of both NATO and the Schengen Area, but not the European Union. As a result, it effectively forms part of the EU’s external border, since internal borders within the Schengen Zone have been abolished.
The Finnish Government aims to pass a law to turn back all refugees who cross into the country from Russia. https://t.co/zaK2wTW51F
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) June 18, 2024
