The Netherlands has supported the idea of a ban on Russian tourist visas to the European Union. Read to know more.
According to Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra, the Netherlands will back proposals to prohibit Russian tourists from traveling to the EU.
On Tuesday, he talked to a Dutch broadcaster RTL and said, “We would like to make a difference between the Russian state and its citizens. But at the same time, we see that by far the most people that come here are rich Russians who often have ties to the regime.”
The EU member states’ foreign ministers will consider such a ban on Wednesday in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The ban’s likelihood of taking effect is still low. A number of countries, including Germany and France, are opposed to such a plan, in part because they don’t want to incite anti-European feelings among regular Russian residents.
The Netherlands is not too worried about lashing out at Russians
The Netherlands is less worried about lashing out at regular Russians than France and Germany are. According to a political insider, the EU will continue to impose harsher sanctions as long as Russia does not cave in since there is a war going on.
According to RTL, Foreign Affairs Minister Wopke Hoekstra wants to keep granting Russians visas in particular circumstances. These circumstances could include family visits, education, and refugee cases. D66, a coalition partner, has long supported prohibiting Russian visitors from entering the EU. The Baltic states have been pushing for a visa ban on the Russians.
Since the end of April, Russian citizens have been unable to apply for a short-stay visa at the Dutch embassy in Moscow. That’s because not enough diplomats are there to fully staff the embassy’s consular affairs department. However, there may be a major humanitarian exception.