If the European Union fails to agree on suspending tourist visas for all Russian citizens, Lithuania may propose to introduce a ban on a regional level, the country’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says.
“First of all, we are seeking a European solution because it’s the most sustainable and legally correct one. [...] If such a solution is not found, we do not rule out looking for a regional solution that would involve the Baltic states, Poland and, potentially, Finland,” Lithuania’s foreign minister told reporters after a meeting of the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Lithuania was one of the first EU countries to restrict the issuance of new Schengen and national visas to Russian citizens. Latvia and Estonia later made similar decisions.
Tallinn went even further and is not admitting Russians with tourist visas already issued by Estonia.
The Czech Republic, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, has said a visa ban for all Russian citizens could be added to the EU’s sanctions on Moscow.
‘Who Crimea belongs to?’
According to Landsbergis, given that the Lithuanian parliament has recognised Russia as a state that commits genocide and supports terrorism, Russians should not be allowed to travel to the EU for tourism.
He stressed that humanitarian visas would continue to be issued to people persecuted by the Russian or Belarusian regimes and their family members.
According to the Lithuanian foreign minister, a regional solution that would cover all EU countries bordering Russia could be similar to the one currently unilaterally applied by Estonia.
“I think it would be similar to what Estonia is talking about today, which is denying entry to certain groups of people whose admission would raise doubts as to their compliance with our national security interests,” he said.
EU border guards should ask every Russian traveller about the purpose of their trip and could also ask about their attitude to the Kremlin’s actions towards Ukraine, according to the minister.
“The border guard has the right to ask if you support the war in Ukraine and who Crimea belongs to,” Lithuania’s top diplomat said. “If a person crossing the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Finnish or Polish border says that he or she thinks that Crimea is not occupied, we can assume that allowing this person in is not in line with our national security interests.”
“Lithuania can do this unilaterally. But, in my opinion, such measures only work effectively if there is at least a regional solution,” he added.
Landsbergis noted that with air links with European capitals cut off, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Poland are the main route for Russians and Belarusians to Europe.
“Basically all tourists arrive via these countries by road. The other routes are via Istanbul, Dubai and Yerevan by plane,” the minister said. “If you add an extra country, you can reach Europe, but the numbers are much smaller.”
“A regional solution would obviously lead to a significant reduction in traveller numbers,” he added.
Landsbergis said that the most difficult thing would be to agree on technical issues.
The region’s ministers are expected to hold their first meeting on the issue in Prague next week.
According to Landsbergis, it is yet to be decided if such a ban should apply to Belarusian citizens as well.
“We see differences between the two countries when it comes to their citizens’ attitudes towards the war,” he said. “A large part of Belarus’ citizens could be considered more as hostages of their regime than as active and conscious supporters of the regime and its actions.”
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