Vilnius to look for regional solution if EU decides not to ban issuance of visas to Russian citizens – Lithuanian FM

VILNIUS. Aug 23 (Interfax-Ukraine/BNS) – Lithuanian agencies will start looking for a regional solution if the European Union decides not to ban the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said.

"First and foremost, we will aspire for a European decision because it is the most sustainable, the most correct from a legal point of view… If no such decision is made, we do not rule out the possible search for a regional solution to involve the Baltic countries, Poland and, potentially, Finland," Landsbergis said after a meeting of the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee.

A regional solution for all EU countries bordering Russia could be similar to what Estonia has been doing on a unilateral basis, Landsbergis said.

"I think it could be similar to what Estonia has been talking about: certain groups of individuals whose admission would be doubtful from the angle of our national security interests would not be let in," he said.

In each particular case, an EU border guard should ask a Russian citizen about the purpose of the visit and may also ask about the traveler’s attitude to the Russian actions in Ukraine, Landsbergis said.

Given the absence of flights to European capitals, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Poland have become the main transit route to Europe for tourists from Russia and Belarus, he said.

"Most of the tourists arrive through these countries by car, while the other transit routes go through Istanbul, Dubai and Yerevan by plane. An addition of another country will still allow to reach Europe, but the numbers will be much lower. Naturally, the influx of travelers will significantly decrease if the regional decision is made," Landsbergis said

Coordination of technical issues will be the most challenging task, he said.

"We want the rules to be applied in the same manner. In other words, a person who is denied admission into Estonia should not receive a different answer from either Latvia or Lithuania," Landsbergis said.

The question whether both Russian and Belarusian tourists should be denied admission has yet to be answered, he said.

Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania have called for banning the issuance of EU visas to Russian citizens. Cyprus, Greece, and Portugal opposed the initiative. German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he did not support the idea either.

The EU foreign ministers are due to discuss the issue in Prague at the end of August.