Greece and Cyprus opposed the ban on visas to Russians

Greece and Cyprus opposed the ban on the issuance of tourist visas to Russians, writes Politico, citing officials.

The interlocutors of the publication noted that the Cypriot authorities issue visas even to Turkish citizens, although in 1974 her troops seized the northern part of the island against the backdrop of a coup d’état of supporters of joining Greece.

“Therefore, we do not think that this measure has any value in relation to the Russians. We should not interfere with the contacts of representatives of the Russian-speaking community with families and friends,” said Cypriot Foreign Ministry Secretary Cornelios Corneliou.

He drew attention to the fact that Previously, Russian citizens accounted for 25% of the total number of tourists, and about 50,000 Russian-speaking people live in Limassol, Cyprus.

Greece, according to Politico sources in the government, is also not considering changing the status of visas for Russians.

Earlier it was reported that EU ministers will discuss reducing the issuance of visas to Russians on August 31. The German authorities have already announced that they do not support a total visa ban. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged do not blame all Russians for starting the war in Ukraine and do not complicate their lives. France and the Netherlands agreed with him.

The Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia), Poland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Finland and Ukraine spoke out for a complete ban on visas for Russian citizens. And the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry called for the annulment of already issued Schengen.