HS: Belarus to close its embassy in Finland

Belarus will close its embassy in Helsinki at the end of August, Helsingin Sanomat reported, citing a decision by the Belarusian government and confirmation from Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The closure ends an embassy presence established in Finland in 2011 and comes as Minsk restructures its network of diplomatic missions abroad. Finland has no embassy in Belarus, though the Finnish foreign ministry maintains a liaison office in Minsk.

The Belarusian Council of Ministers has revoked the decision that established the Helsinki embassy. Prime Minister Aleksandr Turchin signed the government order, according to the Belarusian state register.

Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs told HS that Belarus had notified Finnish authorities that the mission would close from 30 August. The closure takes effect on 1 September.

The embassy, located in Helsinki’s Kaartinkaupunki district, also represents Belarus in Denmark through secondary accreditation.

Signs of the closure emerged before the government decision became public. The embassy posted a notice on its website on 3 July announcing a temporary suspension of operations. The notice directed people requiring consular services to contact the Belarusian embassy in Stockholm or the country’s consulate in Daugavpils, Latvia. The announcement gave no reason for the suspension.

Independent Belarusian outlets Pozirk and Nasha Niva also reported on the government decision. Pozirk said Minsk has been reorganising its diplomatic network since April 2021 while expanding its consular presence in Russia.

Belarus closed its embassy in Slovakia in 2023. Pozirk reported that Minsk now plans to reopen the mission. Belarus has maintained close political and economic ties with Russia and has supported Moscow during Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The Helsinki embassy has operated without an ambassador since 2024. Aleksei Samosuev served as Belarusian ambassador to Finland from 2018 until 2024. He presented his credentials to then Finnish president Sauli Niinistö in October 2018.

Nasha Niva reported that Belarus did not appoint a successor after Samosuev left the post.

Finland and Belarus established diplomatic relations in February 1992, shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Relations between Belarus and Finland, along with the wider European Union, deteriorated after the Belarusian presidential election in August 2020.

Aljaksandr Lukashenko claimed a sixth presidential term in that election. The EU rejected the official result amid allegations of electoral fraud and condemned the authorities’ response to protests that followed the vote.

The EU imposed sanctions on Belarusian officials and entities over repression, human rights violations and Minsk’s involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Finland has followed the EU’s policy towards the Belarusian government.

Belarus has allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory and infrastructure in connection with the war. Minsk and Moscow also form a Union State under agreements covering political, economic and security cooperation.

HT