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Poland, Finland, Baltics could ban Russian tourists: Lithuanian FM

24.08.2022 06:00
Poland, Finland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania may stop Russian tourists from entering their countries if the European Union does not enact a Europe-wide ban, Lithuania's foreign minister has said.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.PAP/Mateusz Marek

"I have talked to ministers from all these countries ... I don't see many differences politically," Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters in Vilnius on Tuesday, as cited by the Reuters news agency.

EU foreign ministers are due to discuss an EU-wide visa ban for Russian nationals, but the move is supported mainly by the five countries, which all share a border with Russia, according to Reuters.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposed such a ban this week, saying that Russians should be able to flee their home country if they disagree with the Kremlin's policies.

Some other EU countries such as Hungary are also likely to resist an EU-wide ban, Reuters reported.

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk said on Monday that the EU should introduce more restrictive visa rules for Russian citizens over Moscow's six-month-old war in Ukraine.

Another Polish deputy foreign minister, Piotr Wawrzyk, said earlier this month that Poland was "working to develop rules to allow the refusal of visas" to Russian citizens, state news agency PAP reported.

Lithuania’s Landsbergis last week called on EU member states to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian tourists.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters