ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) — France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday that he is against a visa-free regime between Russia and the European Union at this time due to the current security situation in Europe.
"Everything is clear to me. With the current security situation in Europe we need to protect our borders, control our borders. I am in favor of maintaining the visa regime in countries that are in a state of emergency, and we are in a state of emergency," Sarkozy said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The former president underlined that his stance is not caused by distrust toward Russians, "it is just about maintaining European security."
"This is not the time to promise everyone to end visa regimes," he added.
