EU Summons Russian Envoy, Condemns Travel Ban On Brussels Officials
RFE
05 May 2021, 04:15 GMT+10
The European Union has summoned Russia s ambassador in Brussels to condemn Moscow s retaliatory decision to bar eight of the bloc s officials from entering the country.
EU officials informed Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov at the meeting of the strong rejection and firm condemnation by the EU institutions and EU member states of this decision, which was purely politically motivated and lacks any legal justification, according to the European Commission, the EU s executive.
They also noted Russia s expulsion last month of Czech diplomats after Prague threw out alleged Russian intelligence officers over suspected Moscow involvement in a deadly explosion at an ammunition depot in Vrbetice in 2014.
The European Union summoned Russia’s ambassador to the bloc on Monday to condemn Moscow’s decision to bar eight officials from entering the country, which the Kremlin said was in retaliation for sanctions imposed on Russian citizens by the EU.
The protest is the latest in rising diplomatic tensions since the start of 2021, when Moscow expelled European diplomats during an official visit by the EU’s high representative.
The EU has in turn angered Moscow by demanding that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny should be released from prison, while blacklisting more Russian officials for human rights abuses.
Russia’s ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, was summoned “to condemn the decision of the Russian authorities from last Friday to ban eight European Union nationals from entering the territory of the Russian Federation”, the EU Commission said in a statement.
UPDATE 1-EU summons Russian envoy over travel bans on Brussels officials Reuters 2 hrs ago
(Updates with quote, background)
BRUSSELS, May 3 (Reuters) - The European Union summoned Russia s ambassador to the bloc on Monday to condemn Moscow s decision to bar eight officials from entering the country, which the Kremlin said was in retaliation for sanctions imposed on Russian citizens by the EU.
The protest is the latest in rising diplomatic tensions since the start of 2021, when Moscow expelled European diplomats during an official visit by the EU s high representative.
The EU has in turn angered Moscow by demanding that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny should be released from prison, while blacklisting more Russian officials for human rights abuses.
Russia bars EU officials as latest row escalates Published on Share
Tensions between Russia and the European Union escalated on Friday as Moscow barred eight EU officials from entering the country and Brussels warned it could respond in kind.
In the latest row to strain relations, Moscow said its move was a response to sanctions imposed by the European Council last month against four top Russian security officials over the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and a violent police response to protests in his support.
“The European Union continues its policy of unilateral illegitimate restrictive measures targeting Russian citizens and organisations,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Russia has blacklisted eight officials from different European Union countries, including the head director of the Estonian Language Inspectorate (Keeleinspektsioon) Ilmar Tomusk.
The Russian foreign ministry announced on Friday that banning another eight EU officials comes in retaliation for sanctions imposed on Russian citizens in the EU in March. The Kremlin also recently placed Estonia, the U.S, the U.K, Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia, Poland, Ukraine and the Czech Republic on its unfriendly list.
Altogether, Russia banned three officials from the Baltic states: Ivars Abolins, chairman of Latvia s National Electronic Media Council; Maris Baltins, director of the Latvian State Language Center; and Ilmar Tomusk, head of Estonia s Language Inspectorate, Reuters reported.