Kasoulides in Prague to discuss Russian tourist visa ban proposal

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides will have bilateral meetings with his counterparts of Estonia and Ukraine in the informal meeting of the European Union’s foreign ministers, which will be taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday, in Prague.

One of the main issues expected to be on the agenda is the proposal by Estonia and other Baltic and eastern European countries for a total ban of issuing tourist visas for Russian citizens in all member states of the EU.

Cyprus, as well as Greece, have rejected this proposal, while Germany, as well as foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on behalf of the European Commission, have also disagreed.

The informal meeting (known as Gymnich) is not expected to produce results regarding the Russian tourist visa proposal. However, international media have reported on the possibility of a proposal to suspend the visa facilitation agreement with Russia, which wouldn’t result in an outright ban but would slow down applications.

Kasoulides will have separate meetings on the margins of the informal summit with Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

The meeting will begin on Tuesday with a discussion on EU – Africa relations and with a dinner at the Czech foreign ministry.