Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after a meeting with his EU counterparts that ministers had failed to reach agreement on a general ban on the issuance of EU visas to Russian citizens.
According to Russia Today, Szijjarto stated that there was no agreement on the topic of visas within the Council of Foreign Ministers of the European Union to enact a general prohibition on entry visas for Russian people.
The EU will also renounce its visa facilitation agreement with Russia at the same time.
This is supported by a significant number of member states, as was evident from today’s words. However, the main point is that giving visas to Russians will not be generally prohibited, according to Szijjarto.
The Latvian parliament adopted a statement urging the European Union to stop giving visas to people of Russia and Belarus after the German government submitted a draught resolution to prohibit the issuance of Schengen visas to Russian citizens as part of a future sanctions package.
The Lithuanian Defense Minister, Arvidas Anushuskas, stated that it was unlikely that the European Union would reach a general agreement on banning visas, but that is no reason to give up. For his part, the Estonian Foreign Minister, Urmas Rinsalo, stated that his country, in turn, would close the borders to Russian citizens with Schengen visas issued by the republic.
European nations cannot agree on a broad restriction on Russian citizens receiving visas.
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