Schulz on denial of entrance onto Russian territory of MEP Kalniete

EP President Martin Schulz i said: "The repeated and arbitrary denial of entrance onto Russian territory of elected parliamentarians, as testified by the latest case of MEP Sandra Kalniete i, is a high affront to the EU-Russia relations and the work of democratic institutions.

The travel restrictions by Russia on selected European individuals are being applied without the slightest element of reasoning or any forewarning of their application or who they apply to. This contrasts very starkly with the way that the EU travel restrictions on Russian citizens have been applied.

The most recent case of a travel restriction on Ms Kalniete, who was prohibited entrance to attend the funeral of Boris Nemtsov, is doubly serious because in times which call for restraint and goodwill, the Russian administration continues to press all the buttons which go in the opposite direction to de-escalation.

I will address the Russian authorities in the strongest terms and demand an official explanation."

REF. : 20150303IPR29001