At 00:00 on Thursday, August 18, the Estonian authorities stopped the entry into the country of Russian citizens with Schengen visas previously issued by Estonian consular offices.
According to the press service of the government, this means that if a Russian to whom the republic has issued a Schengen visa, if the purpose of his visit was tourism, business, sports or culture, arriving from August 18 at the border point of Narva, Luhamaa or Koidula, he will no longer be able to enter to Estonia.
This decision was made earlier, on August 11, by the government of the Baltic Republic. Against this background, Prime Minister Kaya Kallas said that Russians, given the events in Ukraine, should understand that admission to the EU is not a matter of human rights and freedom of movement, but a privilege for those who are ready to be accepted in the community as a guest or business partner.
In this regard, questions arose with the entry into Estonia of those Russians who have a valid Schengen visa issued by other countries. As Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets noted, calling into question the effectiveness of the ban, 131,000 people who received visas in other European countries could enter Estonia.
On Wednesday, August 17, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said that Estonia has the right to block the entry of Russian citizens with third-country visas.
“The EU’s basic treaty allows member states to block the entry of Russian citizens,” he argued.
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