Introducing 5-year visas
We want to cancel short-term visas with Russia as soon as possible, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe says.
Meeting with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov this week, Jeppe underlined his country’s intention to liberalize visa relations with Russia. Five-year multiple-entry visas will be introduced by the end of 2011 and the current system of short-term visas between the two countries will be abolished “as soon as soon as possible”, Interfax reports.
Russia is pushing hard for the introduction of visa-free traveling with the EU and last year convinced Brussels about the need for the adoption of a roadmap on the issue.
Read also: Russia-EU visa-free plan by summer
In early June, Russia signed an agreement with the European Union about the introduction of five-year visas, which would be given to Russians who previously visited EU countries on short-term visas. Also the United States announced last month that an agreement for five-year visas would be signed with Russia in July, the Moscow Times informs.
