Stubb: Visa-free travel in a few years
Finland’s Foreign Minister says next EU-Russian summit could be a venue in which concrete stepmarks would be agreed on.
Alexander Stubb is looking forward to the up-coming EU-Russian summit to be held on December 7 in Brussels. Helsinki Times reports that the Foreign Minister expects that concrete steps will be taken in the talks on visa-freedom between Schengen and Russia.
Stubb believes that Russians can travel to the EU without visas within a few years time.
Russia has earlier said that they are ready to introduce visa-freedom “tomorrow”.
EU on the other side does however want a step-by-step approach towards visa-freedom. As BarentsObserver reported yesterday, the representatives at last week’s Russia-EU Partnership Council meeting agreed that there is a need for improved conditions for simplified traveling of residents living in the border areas between the EU and Russia.
Read also: Russia awaits EU response on visa issue
Stubb says Russia first need to make it easier for EU citizens to get Russian working permits and lifting todya’s registration requirement of foreigners in Russia.
