The German government proposed a compromise on the sensitive issue of EU visas for Russians on Tuesday, limiting the suspension of the agreement on visa facilitation and multiple entry visas, AFP reports.

“I think we can find a good solution in Prague,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said at a meeting of foreign ministers of European countries that began on Tuesday.

“I think this could be a very good way to make it clear that we are suspending the visa facilitation agreements, that we are no longer issuing multiple-entry or multi-year visas,” the environment minister explained.

As a temporary compromise, ministers could agree in principle to suspend the visa facilitation agreement, which would mean Russians would face a longer procedure and have to pay 80 euros instead of 35 euros for an EU visa, an EU diplomat was quoted as saying by Reuters. .

But that may not be enough for countries that want them banned, especially those bordering Russia, some of which have already stopped issuing visas.

“I hope that we will be able to agree on a joint European solution that will allow to significantly limit the flow of tourists from Russia to Europe,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis.

“If all 27 EU countries do not reach an agreement, in the future it will be possible to seek a regional solution for the countries most affected by the flow of Russian tourists.”

Finland, which has a long land border with Russia and says it does not want to become a hub for Russian tourists entering the EU, has sharply reduced the number of visas issued.

The ban may lead to the strengthening of nationalist and anti-European sentiments in Russia

In a joint document, Germany and France rejected a proposal by some member states to ban entry to the European Union for all Russian citizens, favoring the preservation of the current legal framework that allows certain categories to enter the bloc of the community regardless of whether they face persecution or not in Russia.

“We need to think about smart ways to use the important lever that is the issue of visas,” said the document sent to other EU member states ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Prague on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The document warns against complete visa restrictions and emphasizes the importance of not alienating future generations of Russians.

In addition, the German-French document warns, a blanket ban could lead to a rise in nationalist and anti-European sentiment in Russia, where citizens tend to rally behind their political leaders when they feel attacked or victimized by those there seen as external forces. Russophobes.