Many Russians accredited as diplomats in the EU are mainly involved in intelligence work, propaganda or even the preparation of acts of sabotage. Out of concern, several countries are now calling for restrictions on their freedom to travel within the Schengen area.
Visa-free travel for diplomats encourages “malicious activities”, eight member states said in a letter to the European Commission, citing fears that Moscow could intensify its attempts to divide the EU. The freedom of movement of members of Russian diplomatic missions and their family members should therefore be limited to the territory of the state in which they operate. This would “significantly limit” the scope of operations for Russian agents.
The letter, which was made available to the AFP news agency on Thursday, was signed by the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania and the Netherlands.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking a wait-and-see attitude
The Foreign Ministry in Vienna showed a wait-and-see attitude: “If a concrete proposal is made, Austria will examine it, taking into account all the obligations we have as a host country of the United Nations and other international organizations.” said in a statement.
Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine in February 2022, numerous Russian diplomats have been expelled from European countries.
Many Russians accredited as diplomats in the EU are mainly involved in “intelligence work, propaganda or even the preparation of acts of sabotage,” the foreign ministers of the eight EU states wrote.
Russian diplomats can do enormous damage
Russia has been conducting large-scale operations in Europe for years that have caused significant material damage. Foreign ministers called on EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to immediately introduce travel restrictions. The cost of possible Russian countermeasures is far lower than the potential damage that “Russian diplomatic agents could cause across Europe.”
Source: Krone
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