"The issue of issuing visas to Russian citizens should be decided at the European level. Finland takes a tough position, otherwise transit through Finland will continue or even increase," the Prime Minister said at a press confrerence that took place on August 23, 2022 in Helsinki.
From the beginning of September 2022, an average of 100 applications per day will be accepted for tourist visas, which is about 10 times less than the current number. At the same time, 20% of the time will be allocated for those receiving tourist visas, and 80% for those who need a visa for other reasons.
The Association of Tour Operators of Russia, ATOR, has calculated that with such restrictions, the process of issuing visas will take 4-5 months.
Marin also announced a special humanitarian visa. Such a visa can be obtained, in particular, by oppositionists who oppose the policy of the Russian authorities.
At the same time, the prime minister emphasized that Finland was not going to interrupt family ties between people living on both sides of the border. Also, unlike Estonia, Finland does not plan to cancel previously issued visas.
To date, 10 European countries have unilaterally stopped or restricted the issuance of visas. A week later, in the capital of the Czech Republic, a meeting of the Foreign Ministries of the EU states will be held, at which the issue of restricting the issuance of tourist Schengen visas to Russian citizens will be discussed. It is also proposed to include such a restriction in the seventh package of EU sanctions. However, the EU countries do not have a common opinion on this issue, some countries oppose such a restriction (in particular, Germany).
Source: Interfax
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