Visa-Free Travel to the EU for Russians Can Wait: Finnish Minister
Published:
24 July 2003 y., Thursday
Finland's Interior Minister Kari Rajamaeki on Monday said visa-free travel to the European Union for Russians would not happen anytime soon due to considerable security concerns.
"I think that the abolition of visa requirement between the EU and Russia... is a very long-term goal," Rajamaeki told AFP.
"There are problems concerning the credibility of Russian travel documents, border control -- especially in the south -- organized crime, drugs and the number of illegally resident third country nationals in Russia," he noted.
"A hasty decision could cause serious risks to the internal security of the EU," Rajamaeki pointed out.
Earlier this month Richard Wright, the head of the EU delegation to Moscow, said the bloc was ready to start talks with Kremlin on the transition to a regime of visa-free travel between the Union and Russia.
The first technical discussions on the topic would take place prior to the next EU-Russia summit, scheduled for November, he added.
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