Danish Ambassador to Russia: Solution to the Kaliningrad Problem Must Be Found

A solution to the problem of transit travelling of the people of Russia's Kaliningrad Region (a Russian enclave at the Baltic Sea) between the region and the main part of the Russian territory must be found before the Russia-EU summit scheduled to be held November 11 this year in Copenhagen, Ambassador of Denmark to Russia Lars Vissing said at a press conference in Moscow on July 24 /at present Denmark is the EU chairman/.

The summing-up declaration, adopted late in June at the EU summit in Seville, provides the basis for solving this problem, the ambassador said. Practical work on this matter started in Brussels on Wednesday, he said referring to the current consultations between Russia and the EU on the Kaliningrad issue.

According to Vissing, the term "visa" is not mentioned in the summing-up declaration as a basis for the transit movement of Russian citizens. At the same time the Danish ambassador pointed out that in compliance with the Schengen Agreement on the level of control at the external EU frontiers, the new EU member states are to ensure the same control level that is adopted at the European Union at present. The "format of this control is open," Vissing said, "and we will discuss it with Russia." The ambassador did not rule out that new forms of control may be used for solving the Kaliningrad problem, considering the latest technical means available."