MP: “There Are No Tourists from Russia Not Connected to the War” 0 9

The chairman of the Saeima's European Affairs Committee and deputy of the Foreign Affairs Committee from the Progressive party, Edmunds Cepuritis, stated on the TV24 program "Preses klubs" that the understanding in Europe is gradually changing: there are no "tourists from Russia" who are not connected to the war in Ukraine.

Cepuritis commented on the desire of Russians to travel en masse to Europe to celebrate Christmas, despite sanctions and restrictions. According to him, Latvia, the Baltic states, and Poland have long insisted that tourist visas for Russian citizens should be unavailable throughout the European Union. Such restrictions are already in place, for example, in the Czech Republic. However, after crossing the external border of the EU, Russians can still move freely and enter the Baltic states, as there is no border control within the Schengen zone.

In the politician's opinion, the position of European countries towards Russia is gradually hardening. In particular, this concerns the freezing of Russian assets, and Cepuritis expressed hope that a decision will soon be made to transfer these funds to Ukraine.

He emphasized that along with this, the awareness of the moral side of the issue is changing: "Understanding is growing — there is not a single Russian tourist who is not related to the war." When asked whether officials in Brussels recognize the moral and ethical essence of this problem, Cepuritis replied that this is not so much a question for the European Commission as for the member states themselves. "The problem is that not all countries are ready for the steps that the Baltic states are calling for — to completely 'cut off' tourist and work visas for Russian citizens," he noted.

The politician added that the position of Hungary, which, according to him, is creating a "green corridor" for Russians, raises particular concerns and thereby increases risks for European security.