The Finnish government is considering imposing restrictions on the Russian visa regime.
Finland plans to introduce new restrictions on issuing tourist visas for Russian citizens. This is what Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said, according to the local edition of Yle on Thursday, August 4.
According to him, in Finland the issue of restricting the visa regime in the Russian Federation is relevant.
“I understand very well the moral outrage (in Finnish society – ed.) that when there is a war in Ukraine and people are suffering, at the same time (Russians – ed.) there is normal tourism. This is not what is needed in this situation” he said.
The Finnish government has already held a meeting on new possible sanctions, where the minister named legal ways to limit the issuance of visas to Russian citizens. The head of the Finnish Foreign Ministry also discussed the possible introduction of new measures with Finnish President Sauli Niiniste.
“Finland has ways to limit the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens. The goal is to influence visa policy decisions. The government is looking for ways to limit the issuance of tourist visas to Russians. The fastest way to reduce the number of tourists Arriving in Finland from Russia affects the categories of visas and the timing of their issuance,” he said.
The official added that at the moment, Finland cannot cancel previously issued long-term visas, as this requires “strong justification”, for example, a threat to the country’s security.
The Finnish government plans to discuss this issue next week.
The official stressed that a complete ban on issuing visas to Russians must be agreed within the framework of EU sanctions against the Russian Federation.
Finland will raise the issue at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers at the end of August.
Remember that the Western media said that the European Union cannot completely ban the issuance of visas to Russian citizens.
It was previously reported that several EU countries have decided to temporarily not grant tourist visas to Russians, particularly the Czech Republic and Belgium.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.