Skift Take

Putin says visa requirements thwart trade between the states, but EU officials could be slow to open borders if they’re weary of a wave of labor migration entering on the union during a recession.

The Russian President criticized the existing visa regime between Russia and the European Union, saying it is thwarting the development of economic relations between the trading partners.

What does a country like Guatemala have that Russia does not? The freedom of its citizens to travel to the EU without a visa.

Putin expressed the hope that Moscow and Brussels will find the political will to make progress in tackling the visa issue.

“We will not blow this situation out of proportion, but we are doing concrete things: I have a long list of countries whose citizens do not need visas to visit the EU,” Putin said at the Russia-EU summit in Brussels on Friday.

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Tags: russia, visas

Photo credit: Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation talks at the Annual Meeting 2009 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. World Economic Forum / Flickr.com

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