Moscow holds Warsaw responsible for complications with new visa regime

Moscow does not intend to share with Warsaw the responsibility for complications with a new visa regime between the two countries.

"The Russian side did not initiate the introduction of a new visa regime," the Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the accusations that Poland had started to put forward in relation to visa regulations adopted by the Russian side.

"It seems that Poland, having encountered certain difficulties during the first stage of implementation of a new visa regime it had insisted upon in the first place, which have caused discontent among Polish citizens, is now trying to share the responsibility with the Russian side that acts precisely according to the recent agreement and other regulatory documents signed earlier," the statement of the department of information and press of the RF Foreign Ministry says.

The Russian Foreign Ministry reminded Poland that the 13 December 1979 intergovernmental agreement on mutual travel of citizens of both countries has been unilaterally denounced by the Polish side. The agreement provided for visa-free travel of Polish and Russian citizens on the territories of the two countries if they had respective invitations or tourist vouchers.