Estonia Opposes Introduction of Special Visas for Kaliningrad Residents

Estonia does not support the introduction of regional visas for residents of the Kaliningrad Region. According to the Eesti Paevaleht newspaper, Estonian Foreign Minister Kristina Ojuland made this announcement, explaining that the Kaliningrad problem and its resolution should not effect the security of EU member states, which are obliged to control their borders.

'We cannot agree with Russia's demand to create a visa regime including all the Baltic states for residents of the Kaliningrad enclave,' she stressed. The minister noted that the problem of passenger transit from Kaliningrad to Russia and back did not effect her country directly as there are no roads or railways leading from Kaliningrad to Russia through Estonia. However, she believes that a simplified passenger transport regime should include measures to prevent the uncontrolled movement of Russian citizens around Lithuania. Ojuland stressed that 'as a country entering into the EU we are interested in resolving the problem related to Kaliningrad'. She agreed with the European Commission's resolution which states that a simplified visa regime should not impede the successful expansion of the EU.