Russia to react to Finland’s decision on visa restrictions

New Delhi: Helsinki’s decision to restrict issuing visas to Russians will evoke a reaction from Moscow, Deputy Spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Ivan Nechayev told a briefing on Thursday.

The decision by the Finnish authorities to put a cap on applications by Russian citizens for visas to Finland is fully in line with yet another Russophobic crusade in place in some European Union countries, initiated by the Baltic States,” the diplomat specified.

“The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly provided its assessment of such decisions, illustrative of the politically motivated discrimination against Russians on ethnic grounds. We also paid attention to the fact that such actions confirm Finland’s and the entire European Union’s disregard of their international commitments,” he stressed.

“These steps will not go without a proper reaction from the Russian side,” Nechayev cautioned.

A total of 500-time slots a day for visa applications will be available at Finnish visa centers in Russia from September 1, of which only 20% will be set aside for tourist purposes, the Finnish Embassy told TASS on Wednesday. Currently, the Finnish visa centers in Russia receive about 1,000 visa applications a day, the embassy said.

However,  Finland joined the United Nations in 1955 and the European Union in 1995. As noted, the country also is a member of NATO’s Partnership for Peace as well as an observer in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.

(Vinayak)