The sale of the Russian-owned Helsinki Hall sports and concert venue to Finnish investors will take several months due to sanctions. In an interview about this YLE Pia Sarivaara, sanctions coordinator at the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said:
Sarivaara explained that the ministry has been informed about the transaction, but has not yet received documents for evaluation. The sale requires exemption from EU sanctions imposed on the arena’s Russian owners. He added that the reaction of EU countries to Helsinki’s request is unknown, which could delay the process by several months.
Helsingin Sanomat newspaper the other day reportedIt was stated that the arena was sold to Finnish investors. Helsinki City Hall in November lawsuit filed With a request to terminate the lease agreement with the Russian owners of the arena due to delays in ground rent.
In December 2023, it was learned that the sale was possible within the scope of the provisions of the 12th EU sanctions package. The deadline for the voluntary sale of company shares ended on June 30.
Previously Finnish diplomat appreciated The possibility of restoring relations between Moscow and Helsinki.