“No objective obstacles exist for visa abolition
between Russia and EU”
From Russia Today - Published 09 March, 2010, 06:31A series of consultations on visa-free travel between Russia and the EU carried out in 2007-2009 showed there are no objective obstacles to visa abolition, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Andrey Nesterenko.
In his weekly media address, Nesterenko commented on visa-free travel, which has recently come into spotlight, as well as some other foreign policy developments.
RT presents the full transcript of Andrey Nesterenko’s briefing, which took place on March 4, 2010.
ANNOUNCEMET of Amendement of the lawThe Federation Council of upper house of Russian parliament on 2nd March 2010 endorses the bill facilitating the reception of Russian visas for foreigners with close relatives who are citizens of the Russian Federation. The document defines parents and spouses as close relatives.
Under the bill, heads of diplomatic missions and consulates of the Russian Federation are given the right to issue entry visas to a foreign citizen or a stateless person if his of her relative, a citizen of the Russian Federation, makes a corresponding written request. As we understand things, the theory is the relative just need to write a letter of invitation (without having to register it at OVIR or police), and this letter will be sufficient for you to get a private visa (valid up to 3 months, single or double entry). The law has to be signed by the president before it comes into force but that may happen before the summer.Prospects for Russia-EU visa-free dialogueWe note the Russian media’s increased interest in the theme of a visa-free dialogue between Russia and the EU. In this regard, we would like to highlight the following points.
We started discussion with the European Union on the possibility of abolishing the visa regime way back at the Russia-EU summit in St. Petersburg in 2003. In 2007-2009 our Ministry held a series of extensive consultations within the framework of the visa-free dialogue, during which we discussed all EU concerns. Based on their results, we can safely say that no objective obstacles exist for visa abolition. Reasons of a political rather than a technical nature stand in the way of a visa-free regime.
Russia has repeatedly stated, including at the highest level, its preparedness to shift to visa-free travel, figuratively speaking, “even tomorrow,” and confirmed it with concrete examples: on May 21, 2008 fans from a number of European Union member countries were able to enter Russia for the final UEFA Champions League match without visas, and tourist groups arriving in Russia by ferry can stay on the territory of Russia without a visa for 72 hours.
However, our EU colleagues have shied away from specific agreements in this regard. It is regrettable that, having coped 20 years ago with the Berlin Wall, Europe – not our fault – still cannot part with such a rudiment of the past as the visa regime. Incidentally, this is an obvious non-fulfillment by our EU partners of their commitments under the Helsinki Final Act of the CSCE (OSCE) on freedom of movement, as well as the CSCE (OSCE) Vienna Document of 1989, which speaks of “the reciprocal abolition of entry visas” by participating states of the CSCE (OSCE).
Separately, I would like to draw your attention to a recently published remark of a “diplomatic source in Brussels” that without 27 readmission agreements between Russia and the EU member states, “visas can’t be abolished.” We emphasize that the May 25, 2006, EU-Russia Agreement on Readmission is being successfully carried out in respect to nationals of the states of the high contracting parties, and from June 1, 2010, will also be applied to third-country citizens. Thus, this question can be no obstacle.
We welcome the disposition of the current Spanish EU Presidency to move, finally, from words to deeds.
In particular, we are talking about ensuring that the upcoming EU-Russia summit in Rostov-on-Don (May 31–June 1 of this year) agrees on a possible timetable for the abolition of the visa regime. Of course, it is unlikely that this will happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, but fixing such a period will be a driving factor for both us and Brussels to gradually move toward the ultimate goal.
LATEST NEWS

On Monday, 8 March at 5.30, I received a call from the Russian Embassy in London, in connection with my letter to the Russian President,
that surprised me, which advised me that my partner, a Russian National, can write a simple letter of invitation for me and then I can apply for a visa (valid up to 3 months, single or double entry) via the Visa Centre in London but not directly to the consulate.
I asked him about costs and was told the same costs apply as now, ie The Europeans will pay 35 Euro plus the VC fees and I can have the visa in 24 hours.
Unfortunately the person talking to me was not aware of any more details and we have to wait till the President sign the new Law.
I was surprised to even receive a telephone call from the Russian Consulate but the fact remains No solution was given to my problem and the changes they made to the law on the 2 March is nothing special, just eliminates our need to request an Invitation, which I always got it in less than 2 hours via email at the cost of $20, so no big deal there.My view is that the Russians are always inflexible in making changes to the old systems to modernise their procedures and in my case they lost a good opportunity to pull the carpet under the European's feet on the forthcoming meeting with the EU in Rostov na danu on the 31 May!
My letter arrived in Moscow very early and with a small amendment to the new law they could exempt me from the Visa requirement for 5 years, same as my wife has now, arrange via the Consulate to issue the visa without any publicity for now and then on the 31 May talks stunt the Europeans with my example and accuse them for inflexibility, where they could show that they do everything on their part to abolish the Visa regime!
But then I have never noticed them to be astute in the Propaganda war abroad!
Before anybody jumps in and dispute my view, may I remind you what they did in the war with Georgia? They let Shakavilly to run rings around their neck and instead of taking with them Western reporters from day one, when they moved in to South Ossetia, they waited 8 days to do it... by then they had lost the propaganda war and was too late to change public opinion in the west!
Never mind one day they may learn that there are many ways to skin a cat!