| The first real step has been taken to the elimination
of the visa barriers separating the single European space, including
Russia. That is how Chairman of the Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO
Grigory Yavlinsky assessed the decision to form a working group
to implement the proposal to switch to a visa-free regime for trips
by Russian citizens to EU countries. According to YABLOKO's press
service, Yavlinsky also stressed that elimination of the visa barriers
to Europe is one of the main programme tasks of YABLOKO in foreign
policy. He said that YABLOKO would use all the avenues open to the
party and its parliamentary faction to speed up implementation of
this idea. The YABLOKO leader thinks that the first documents aimed
at reaching this goal can already be signed during the forthcoming
Russia-EU summit to be held in St. Petersburg in May.
The decision to form a working group to implement the proposal
on a visa-free regime for trips by Russian citizens to EU countries
was adopted during a meeting between the President of Russia Vladimir
Putin and the Chairman of the European commission Romano Prodi
on February 18, 2003. We should note here that a visa-free regime
for trips by Russian citizens to EU countries was one of the main
issues to be discussed during the meeting of deputies from the
YABLOKO faction and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, which
was held on February 18, 2003. During the meeting deputies from
the YABLOKO faction stressed that it was possible and necessary
to implement this idea. This implies the establishment of a special
regime for Russian citizens' trips to the European countries instead
of Russia's accession to the Schengen agreement. The citizens
of Japan, many Latin American and a number of other countries
are entitled to visa-free travel to Europe on the basis of such
an agreement.
See also:
Russia-EU
Relations
The Russian
Democratic Party YABLOKO. Statement. On eliminating visa barriers
between Russian and Europe. February 20, 2003.
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