Helsinki all set to host Putin-Trump meet

The Finnish authorities have made all-out preparations to host peacefully the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump on Monday.

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö will host the meet at the Presidential Palace at about 1:00pm.

The police said security measures have been beefed-up in Helsinki and its adjoining areas.

The meeting will have a major impact on the traffic in Helsinki and Vantaa on 16 July Monday, the Helsinki police said on Saturday.

The main impact will be felt in the vicinity of the Presidential Palace and on Mannerheimintie.

Several motorcades will pass through the metropolitan area during the presidential visits. The motorcades will cause significant disruptions to traffic, especially in the city centre and also on several routes between Helsinki Airport and downtown Helsinki. No other traffic will be allowed on the routes when the motorcades will be proceeding.

On Monday, the Market Square, the Esplanades and Eteläranta will be closed to all vehicular traffic. The South Harbour can be driven to through southern Helsinki on Tehtaankatu or other routes specified by the police.

Vehicular movement in the city centre will be affected from 11:30am to 8:00pm and people are urged to use alternative roads following special arrangements, said a police press release.

“Traffic disruptions will be so significant that I recommend drivers to avoid the city centre, or at least to reserve plenty of time to reach their destinations. The presidents’ schedules may change on a short notice, which would affect traffic and could cause long and unexpected breaks in various parts of Helsinki and Vantaa,” said Chief of Helsinki Police (acting) Heikki Kopperoinen.

“I wish that citizens, entrepreneurs and visitors to Helsinki will have understanding and patience for the exceptional arrangements.

Nevertheless, this is a fine opportunity for Helsinki and Finland. Let’s show our city at its best and make a positive and service-minded impression of the city,” said Helsinki Mayor Jan Vapaavuori.

The presidential visits will affect traffic as early as Sunday due to demonstrations and other reasons, but disruptions to traffic will be more limited than on the actual day of the visits on Monday. The Esplanades and a few streets in the city centre will be closed to vehicular traffic on Sunday, too.

Different organisations have already announced to stage demonstrations and hold protest rallies on the occasion.

At least 10 demonstrations with various volumes and aims are scheduled in Helsinki before and during the meeting on Monday.

Based on advance information, the largest demonstration is to be the ‘Helsinki Calling’ which defends “human rights, freedom of speech and democracy”. Ten thousand participants are estimated to march from the Kaisaniemi Park near the central railway station to the Senate Square near the Presidential Palace. The demonstration was originally scheduled to be arranged on Monday when the meeting is on, but the organisers rescheduled it to Sunday.

Aviation will be restricted over Helsinki and its adjoining areas for the summit. The restrictions apply to both air traffic and unmanned aircraft such as drones. The restrictions will begin at 6:00am on 15 July Sunday and end at 8:00am on 17 July Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Finland reinstated temporary border controls at its internal EU borders to support the security arrangements for the meeting.

Internal border controls started at Friday noon and end on 17 July Tuesday at noon. The aim of the border controls is to make sure that foreign nationals travelling to or from Finland fulfil the conditions for entry into or stay in the country as laid down by law and to identify persons who might pose a risk.

The meeting between Trump and Putin comes at a time of uneasy relations between their countries. In recent years, the two sides have disagreed on a number of issues which include Russia’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict and its support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In addition, United States officials have accused Russia of attempting to influence the 2016 US elections.