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EU Parliament's Greens Slam Russian Travel Ban List

© AFP 2023 / FREDERICK FLORINMembers of the European Parliament take part in a voting session at the European Parliament
Members of the European Parliament take part in a voting session at the European Parliament - Sputnik International
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The European Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) group in the European Parliament came down hard Sunday on Russia's list barring 89 EU officials from entering Russia.

European Union High Representative Federica Mogherini - Sputnik International
Russian Travel Ban List ‘Unjustified’: EU Foreign Policy Chief
BRUSSELS (Sputnik) In a joint statement, the group's chair Rebecca Harms and member Heidi Hautala classified the so-called blacklist as a "heavy blow" to EU-Russia relations, calling on the Parliamentary Assembly to debate the consequences at the next session in June.

Reports of EU member states' embassies receiving a list of their politicians, diplomats and military experts banned from entering Russia appeared in various media outlets earlier this week. A source in the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed these reports on Saturday.

European lawmakers must decide "if and how" further dialogue with Russia should be under the current circumstances, the Greens/EFA's Harms and Hautala added.

Germany's Harms, Finland's Hautala, as well as German parliamentarian Daniel Marc Cohn-Bendit were among the group's members included in the travel ban.

Building of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Sputnik International
Russia Imposed Travel Ban on EU Citizens in Response to Sanctions

German lawmaker Karl-Georg Wellmann was the first to be denied entry into Russia on May 24.

On Saturday, Speaker of the Polish Senate, Bogdan Borusewicz, demanded explanation for why he was one of 18 Polish politicians not allowed to travel to Russia.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov said Wednesday Moscow conducts a policy of not disclosing names, but said anyone can find out if they are blacklisted by turning to any Russian consular office abroad.

Certain Russian individuals have been denied entry to some Western states as part of a larger sanctions regime in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis, attributed to Russia by the West. The Russian government has consistently denied involvement in Ukraine's internal affairs.

Moscow compiled its own black list of persons from the United States and the European Union, but did not publicize it initially.

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