EU States Call for Travel Restrictions on Russian Diplomats
Eight European states, including Romania, have requested in a letter addressed to the EU's head of diplomacy, Josep Borrell, that Russian diplomats be prohibited from travelling freely within the European bloc and that their right to travel freely be limited to the countries where they are accredited.
“The free movement of holders of Russian diplomatic and service passports, accredited in a host state, throughout the Schengen area, facilitates malign activities,” states the letter dated June 11, as reported by Reuters.
The ministers stated that information, propaganda, “or even the preparation of acts of sabotage represent the main workload for a large number of Russian ‘diplomats’ in the EU,” and, although the expulsions have been significant, the threat remains.
“We believe that the EU should strictly adhere to the principle of reciprocity and limit the movement of Russian diplomatic mission members and their families to the territory of their accredited state,” they said.
“This measure will significantly restrict the operational space for Russian agents,” adds the letter signed by Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, and Romania.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
