Russia Will Depend On Greece For EU Visa Deal

Russia looks forward to restarting cooperation and visa talks with the EU under Greece’s upcoming presidency of the bloc, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Athens on 30 October.

Greece has signalled it intends to promote EU relations with Moscow when it assumes the bloc’s rotating presidency in January, and to further facilitate visa procedures for Russian travelers which are becoming increasingly important to its tourism industry.

“We particularly appreciate the determination by our Greek friends to promote Russia-EU relations in the coming period,” Mr. Lavrov said.

“Primarily the problem is about the issuing of entry visas,” he added. “And the renewal of negotiations, which stopped through no responsibility of our own, for a new deal on Russia-EU cooperation … to modernize relations between EU and Russia.”

Efforts to improve EU-Russian relations have so far run afoul of disputes over Moscow’s record on human rights and energy policy.

Source: eubusiness.com