Statement by the YABLOKO party, 26.05.2015

The YABLOKO party expresses protest against the refusal of entry to the Russian Federation to Karl-Georg Wellmann, MP of the German Bundestag deputy from the Christian Democratic Union (SDU).

The failed visit of the German politician to Moscow envisaged top level meetings. Despite this, after having waited in the lounge of the Sheremetyevo airport [in Moscow for his visa] the German politician had to return to Berlin on May 25 without been given the reasons of the ban. On his arrival to Germany, Karl-Georg Wellmann was notified that he had no right to enter Russia until November 2019.

Not only does the ban fail to fit into the framework of civilized relations between states, but also demonstrates inappropriate foreign policies of the Russian leadership.

It is Germany which has recently applied much effort so that to keep the possibility of a dialogue between Russia and the European Union, and helped to avoid complete isolation of Russia in the political and economic sectors.

Mister Wellmann is a supporter and one of the initiators of repairing the relations between Russia and Ukraine. He has repeatedly spoken out against the military action in Ukraine and called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Refusal of entry to our country to Mr. Wellmann is an indication that Russia does not want and is not ready to discuss the Ukrainian crisis and is incapable of working with the European partners on the development common solutions to the present political situation.

Today, Russia more than ever needs international cooperation and restoration of new trust-based relationships with the European countries.

We demand that the Russian Foreign Ministry must clarify why German MP Karl-Georg Wellmann was denied entry to Russia until 2019, and why the politician was not notified in advance about the possible ban on entry into Russia.

Sergei Mitrokhin,

Chairman, YABLOKO