Russia visa issue top priority for Foreign Ministry

THE issue of swift issue of visas to Russian visitors is a priority for the Foreign Ministry since it is linked with the vital interests of the island’s tourism industry, the ministry said yesterday.

On Tuesday, the House Commerce Committee heard Cyprus had lost around 26,000 Russian visitors so far this year due to delays in issuing visas at the island’s embassies in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

Russian nationals had enjoyed visa-free travelling to Cyprus since 1995, but the practice ended in December 2003 in line with EU directives.

It became apparent during the committee discussion that, despite knowing about the impending change, nothing effective had been done to expedite procedures.

In response to the reports, the Foreign Ministry yesterday issued a written statement noting that Cyprus had one of the fastest visa issue services in Russia and aimed at further improving the procedure with the operation of new software.

But on Tuesday the committee heard that the software system, which had been successfully tried in Cyprus, had failed to operate when applied in Moscow, thus making things even worse.

Since January, it has proved impossible to resolve the problems, though experts are due in Moscow on May 20, hoping to have the system up and running.

The Foreign Ministry said visas in Moscow were issued within 24 hours, making Cyprus the only country issuing visas on the same day.

“Applications from tour operators are received through a special box at the embassy and priority is given so there will not be any problem with tourism,” the ministry statement said.

Regarding businessmen, investors and regular visitors, the embassy issues permanent or multiple entry temporary visas enabling them to enter freely.

The ministry said it had dispatched additional staff to Russia and more were on the way to tackle the increased work ahead of the summer season, the ministry said.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.