“You are not welcome here”: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland will close the entrance to Russians from September 19

In addition, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland will impose an entry ban on Russians with Schengen visas on the night of September 19, the head of the Estonian Foreign Ministry said.

At the same time, the head of the Foreign Ministry pointed out that the ban applies to Russian travelers with a tourist visa, and does not affect those who want to reunite with relatives and visit the country for “other humanitarian reasons.”

On the eve of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia agreed to restrict entry to the Russians. Decisions will be made at the level of national governments.

Updated at 15:05 Moscow time: Estonia’s entry ban was supported by Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The four countries issued a joint statement explaining that the decision was due to security concerns.

At the end of August, it became known that the EU countries failed to agree on a ban on the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians, as “many opposed it”. At the same time, the EU decided to suspend the visa facilitation agreement with Russia. The fee for all applicants will increase from €35 to €80. It will also increase the processing time of a visa application.

The main supporters of a complete ban on the issuance of visas to Russians in Schengen countries were the representatives of Finland, Estonia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and others.