Cyprus and Greece are two of the countries that have sided with Germany in the debate regarding the proposal of the Baltic States to ban the granting of tourist visas to Russian citizens, according to a publication of the news website Politico.
As recalled in the publication, considerations for this measure are expected to be discussed at the informal meeting of European Union Foreign Ministers in Prague on August 30.
Politico refers to the fact that Greece, despite the positive feeling towards Russia in the country, was one of the first countries to announce that it would send weapons to Kyiv.
Greek government officials told Politico that there is no intention to restrict travel visas for Russians. Northern Greece, as mentioned, is a popular summer destination for Russians.
As added to the publication, Greece has recorded a 177% increase in air arrivals from Turkey in July compared to 2019, as well as a 257% increase in arrivals from Serbia.
According to officials, it is noted, many of them are Russian citizens although there is no specific data on the nationalities of the citizens.
The publication also refers to the fact that in Cyprus it is home to a large Russian community of 50,000 people centered on Limassol, as well as the fact that 25% of tourists in Cyprus before the country’s invasion of Ukraine came from Russia.
In statements to Politico, the director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cornelios Corniliou, expressed the opinion that banning the granting of tourist visas to Russian citizens “would be a decision in the wrong direction”.
“We believe in people-to-people contacts and the Cypriot authorities grant visas even to Turkish citizens, so we do not think that such a measure will be of value to the Russians,” he added.
“We must not prevent these communities from contacting families and friends,” Mr. Corniliou also said. “The main weapon is European unity and our partners should respect others’ sensitivities in this matter,” he added.
As noted in the publication, despite the strong relations with Russia and the effects on the Cypriot economy, the Cypriot government supported the EU sanctions against Russia.
According to the publication, Cypriot officials state that despite the withdrawal of many companies, there are increasing cases of Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian businessmen, mainly from the IT sector, who are interested in establishing a base in Limassol.
The proposal for a ban on tourist visas for Russian citizens (who can cross into the EU via land borders as they cannot fly directly due to the flight ban) has been discussed in recent times by Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania.
Finland has already decided to significantly reduce the number of tourist visas it gives to Russian citizens.
However, as Politico reports, the German chancellor has disagreed with this proposal, saying that Vladimir Putin, not Russian citizens, is responsible for the invasion of Ukraine.
Source: Capital
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