(MENAFN) According to the country's foreign minister, Jan Lipavsky, the Czech government will advocate for an EU-wide ban on Russian tourists during a ministerial summit in late August. The proposal aims to increase the number of sanctions against Russia that are currently in place due to its military operation in Ukraine.
“We are convinced as a government that halting visas for ordinary Russian citizens gives a very clear and straightforward signal to Russian society,” Lipavsky informed Politico magazine on Thursday. He claimed that Russians “should realize that such a militant policy has consequences.”
The politician declared that he would put forward the proposal at a gathering of EU foreign ministers scheduled for August 31 in Prague.
“We are trying to explain to our partners that the approach is justified and effective,” Lipavsky stated. He also claimed that a visa ban could support “decrease the influence of the Russian secret service in the EU.”
Since Russia began its military operation in Ukraine in late February, the European Union has imposed sanctions and severed ties with Moscow. Russian citizens were no longer able to apply for visas in Prague after the war started.
Invoking security concerns, Latvia stopped issuing visas to almost all Russians earlier this month. On Thursday, Estonia announced that it would follow suit and forbid Russian nationals with Estonian visas from entering the nation beginning on August 18.
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