EU attempts to politicize introduction of visa-free travel harm negotiation process - Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. Sept 27 (Interfax) - Russia does not agree with the intention of some members of the EU to politicize the process of transition to visa-free travel between Russia and the EU, Russian Foreign Ministry charge d'affaires Anvar Azimov said.
"Our colleagues in the EU have made attempts to politicize this document [agreement on visa-free travel], linking this process to the human rights situation in Russia. We disagree with that," he told a press conference in Moscow on Thursday.
A lot was done in the past year for the implementation of joint steps towards the transition to a visa-free regime, but attempts to politicize the process are unlikely to speed up the solution of the issue, Azimov said.
Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister of Luxembourg and president of the Euro Group, earlier said in an interview with Russia Today that the establishment of a visa-free regime between Russia and the EU is mostly hindered by politics.