MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/. Moscow will not resort to tit-for-tat moves in response to the EU’s decision to suspend its visa facilitation agreement with Russia, Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov told Rossiya-24 television on Tuesday.
"We will refrain from tit-for-tat measures. We will remain a country committed to democracy and freedom of movement and we will stay open to those who would like to come and see how Russians have been faring and what is happening in Russia," he emphasized, praising this as a manifestation of maturity and wisdom on the part of Russia’s leadership.
On September 6, the European Commission adopted a decision that fully suspends its visa facilitation agreement with Russia. This will raise the short-term Schengen visa application fee from 35 euro to 80 euro. In addition, it will widen the amount of documents and lengthen the visa processing time up to 45 days. EU member countries will also have expanded powers to deny visas or issue travel permits restricted to the timeframes of a trip or issue single-entry visas instead of multiple-entry ones. The Council of the European Union will actually allow member countries to impose additional individual entry restrictions on Russian nationals. These, among other things, include valid visa cancellations on the border for security reasons.