The Kremlin on Tuesday criticized the proposal by several European leaders to ban visas for Russian tourists, calling these calls “irrational” and the latest manifestation of the West’s anti-Russian agenda.
At a meeting in Prague this week, European Union foreign ministers will discuss the proposal by the Baltic states and some others to stop giving Russians visas to enter the Schengen Zone.
For Wednesday, when the informal meeting of foreign ministers will continue in Prague, the possible limitation of the visa policy for Russian citizens will be on the table, a point of particular interest to the Baltic countries, Poland or the Republic Czech, host and holds the six-monthly presidency of the EU.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland
Both the European Commission and the High Representative have cooled the possibility of a total ban on the entry of Russians into Europe, although Finland and other Baltic countries have put in place measures to restrict and reduce the number of visas they issue.
Germany and France are trying to dissuade the EU27 from following the proposal of the Baltic and Nordic countries, among others, claiming that a joint ban on tourist visas for Russian citizens would be counterproductive.
Most Russians enter the EU through the land borders of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland, as Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis stressed last week, adding that these countries can act by your account if the EU does not agree to a community-wide ban.
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