On Wednesday, October 22, Lithuania denounced the agreement with Russia on mutual travel of citizens, which was concluded in Moscow in 2002. This was reported by LRT, writes UNN.
Details
As noted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, this decision was made taking into account Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, and also because in practice the agreement "is not applied and is irrelevant."
The agreement was concluded to simplify the procedure for travel of citizens of Lithuania and Russia, to establish the procedure for entry, exit, transit and temporary stay of citizens of one country on the territory of another country, as well as the necessary documents.
The application of the agreement actually lost its relevance in June 2007, when the agreement on simplifying the procedure for issuing visas to citizens of the European Union and Russia came into force, as well as with Lithuania's entry into the Schengen area.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry added that the agreement was suspended after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. At that time, when considering applications for Schengen visas from Russian citizens, the general rules of the European Parliament and Council Regulation of 2009 began to be applied.
Recall
In September, the Lithuanian operator Litgrid completely dismantled sections of cross-border power lines connecting Lithuania with the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation. This means the final disconnection from the Russian network and strengthening integration into the continental electricity system of Europe.