Austrian Foreign Minister Urges EU Not to ‘Misfire’ With Possible Visa Ban for Russians
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in Brussels
InternationalIndiaAfricaVIENNA (Sputnik) – The European Union should not “misfire” with a possible visa ban for Russians and should instead think about the consequences of such a move for the future relations with Russia, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on Monday. “We must not misfire by, for example, introducing a visa ban for 144 million Russians,” the minister said at a conference in Paris. He also said that against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis, Europe “must think about the next day, next week and next month at the same time” in relations with Moscow. He stressed the importance of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in these contacts, describing the organization as “one of the few remaining platforms where Russian diplomats remained.” In early December, Poland did not allow Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to take part in the annual conference of the 29th OSCE Ministerial Council in the Polish city of Lodz, as Warsaw said it believed it was necessary to “absolutely isolate” Russia in the international arena amid its military operation in Ukraine. Schallenberg has repeatedly criticized Poland’s decision. In retaliation for the start of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine on February 24, the West has launched a massive sanctions campaign against Moscow. In addition, the EU has decided to limit the movement of Russian citizens, terminating an agreement on the simplified visa regime with Russia.
