Estonian Prime Minister Kai Kallas's call to stop issuing entry visas to Russian tourists is "nonsense bordering on nationalism," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on TELEGRAM.
“Are you surprised that a high official of an EU member state can talk nonsense on the verge of nationalism? This is fine. She didn’t become prime minister herself, but inherited the position dynastically, by right of birth she received everything by pull: a place in the party, a position in the government, ”wrote Zakharova.
After that, she recalled the goal of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) participants in 1975 "to facilitate freer movement and contacts" for citizens of different countries, as well as the commitments made between states in this regard in Vienna in 1989 and in Copenhagen in 1990 -m.
The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that the right to freedom of movement is also spelled out in international legal documents in the field of human rights, in particular in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In this document, Zakharova writes, it is explained that any restrictions on freedom of movement must be provided for by law, specifying the specific conditions and terms for restricting rights, and the terms must be “shortest”.
Zakharova noted that the covid-19 restriction on travel abroad was strictly necessary to protect the public and was "non-discriminatory."
“Finally, in situations of armed conflict, in addition to human rights law, the relevant provisions of international humanitarian law (the law of armed conflict), as well as soft law instruments, such as the Internal Displacement (UN) Guiding Principles, provide a framework that parties to the conflict can be used in relation to freedom of movement,” concluded the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Medvedev called "Nazi crap" the words of Kallas about the privilege to visit the EU Politics Read on RBC Pro Pro "The Worst Corporation" in the world:what it's like to work at Walmart in 4 points Articles Pro Mortgage rates are down.Is it worth investing in developer shares? Articles Pro The old way will no longer work:who to replace suppliers of engineering systems Articles Pro Every fifth company in RUSSIA did not notice the crisis.How they did itPro What taxes come as a surprise to a participant in a transaction for the sale of a business Articles Pro “We just got canceled”:how Russian companies cancel in the West Articles Pro How to convince anyone:psychological tricks – Fast Company Articles
Kallas made a proposal to ban the issuance of visas to Russians against the backdrop of an increased load on the Baltic border checkpoints against the backdrop of the closure of EU air links with Russia and the lifting of quarantine restrictions. “This means that while the Schengen countries issue visas, the burden falls on Russia's neighbors: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, which are the only land entry points. It's time to end tourism from Russia right now,” the Estonian Prime Minister said, calling for an end to the issuance of tourist visas. “Visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right,” she said.
Later, the representative of the European Commission, Anita Hipper, pointed out that the EU visa code does not provide for a ban on the issuance of short-term visas, including to Russian citizens.