Schallenberg also criticized the decision not to invite Russian diplomats to the OSCE meeting.
Photo: REUTERS
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg believes that Western countries should think about maintaining opportunities for dialogue with Russia, which in any case will have to be established after the end of the events in Ukraine.
– We must not cross the line, for example, by introducing a visa ban for 144 million Russians, – said the minister.
According to Schallenberg, Russia was and remains not only part of the history and culture of Europe, but also a permanent member of the UN Security Council, as well as a powerful nuclear power, which cannot be ignored.
Shallenberg also criticized the decision not to invite Russian diplomats to the OSCE meeting, recalling that this structure is one of the few where Western representatives can express their claims and arguments to the Russian delegation.
Estonia, Poland and Belgium called for the termination of visa issuance to all Russians, and in the summer of last year, Finland’s main political parties also spoke in favor of a similar decision. In mid-autumn, the decision was made to suspend the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens in the Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic and several other European countries.
