BRUSSELS, June 3. /TASS/. The European Parliament didn’t restrict free access to its building for Russia’s EU envoy Vladimir Chizhov.
"This is a misinterpretation of a remark by [President of the European Parliament Martin] Schulz. He did not limit free access for the Ambassador and another diplomat," Chizhov told Russian reporters on Wednesday. "Which means that for me and one more diplomat free access has been preserved, while it hasn’t been preserved for the rest of the diplomatic mission’s staff."
"Similarly, Russian legislators will have to request entrance passes every time they wish to enter the European Parliament building," he added.
"I go to the European Parliament regularly, but not every day. But my staff members visit it almost daily, since the European Parliament holds numerous public hearings and other interesting events, and this decision may affect the work of our diplomatic mission," Chizhov said.
"This is an autocratic decision by European Parliament President Martin Schulz, which he announced immediately after our telephone conversation," Chizhov noted. "In fact, this is clearly politicized, ungrounded and unjustified decision."
He added that it had caused "mixed reaction among European Parliament members." "For example, Swedish lawmaker Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, in the Politico newspaper, has dismissed Schulz’s decision as "groundless and anti-democratic," he said.