Estonia urges EU to ban Russian tourist visas as it turns away Schengen visa holders

30 articles·3 sources·updated about 2 hours ago·View in graph

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Estonia has taken a firm stance against issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens and is pressuring the European Union to adopt similar measures. Minister of the Interior Igor Taro stated on the Kuku radio program "Sihik" that Estonia's consistent pressure has led to a shift in both the rhetoric of member states and the stance of the European Commission.

Estonia ceased issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens immediately after Russia launched its full-scale aggression in Ukraine and also denies entry to Russian citizens who hold tourist visas issued by any other Schengen country. "Estonia does not let them in: they are formally denied entry and sent back," Taro said, adding that this policy applies at both land borders and airports.

Taro emphasized that Estonia's position has been clear from the start. "You cannot come to enjoy the Tallinn Christmas market while your country is bombing Ukraine," he said. Estonia has consistently raised the visa issue at meetings of EU interior ministers. According to Taro, nearly half a million visas were issued to Russian citizens in eight months, and the trend was increasing. "I said that this is completely unacceptable," Taro recalled.

He explained that Estonia's criticism initially met with resistance from countries that issue the most visas, but their tone has since changed. "Their rhetoric has changed somewhat. It has become more apologetic; they claim that they are, in fact, conducting individual risk assessments," the minister said. However, he stressed that the problem has not gone away. "Ukrainians are dying every day, and you are letting Russian citizens travel just for fun, because the Kremlin's goal is to show that nothing significant has happened."

According to Taro, there is a general consensus within the European Union that visas should not be issued to military personnel involved in Russia's aggression. "I have not yet heard a representative of any country say that this is not the right thing to do," he said.

The article ends here as it covers the main points from the primary source and provides context and quotes from the key actor, Minister of the Interior Igor Taro.

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