Athens and Nicosia have not supported the ban on tourist visas for Russians wishing to visit the EU. Permanent Secretary of the Cypriot Foreign Ministry Cornelios Corneliou said it would be a decision “in the wrong direction”, reports Politico.
Cyprus and Greece have opposed the ban on tourist visas for Russians wishing to visit the EU. They thus rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski’s calls for such a restriction, Politico writes.
“This would be a solution in the wrong direction,” said Cornelios Corneliou, permanent secretary of the Cypriot Foreign Ministry. The official questioned whether the measure against the Russians “has any value”. He also noted that the island’s authorities issue visas “even to Turkish citizens” because they believe in the need to keep people-to-people contact.
According to Politico, Cyprus has a Russian-speaking diaspora of many thousands. Moreover, before the special operation in Ukraine, Russians accounted for 25% of all tourists arriving in the island nation.
“We should not prevent these communities from contacting family and friends,” Corneliu added. – The main weapon is European unity, and our partners should respect the sensitivities of others on this issue.”
The publication recalls that the Cypriot government supported the tightening of European sanctions against Moscow, despite high economic losses. However, according to local officials, although the restrictions forced many companies to leave, the number of Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian entrepreneurs in the country is growing.
Neighbouring Greece, “contrary to its strong Russophile sentiments”, was one of the first EU countries to announce it was sending weapons to Kiev. But as government officials assured Politico, Athens is also not considering changing the status of Russian visas.
Greece saw an “impressive” influx of tourists from Turkey and Serbia in July. Officials claimed that most of the arrivals were Russians, although the publication had no official confirmation of this information. In recent weeks, a number of EU countries, including the Baltic republics and Finland, have advocated closing entry to Russians. The issue is expected to be discussed at a meeting of European foreign ministers in Prague in late August, Politico notes.