Czech Republic rejects Finland's call to tighten EU visa rules for Russians - expatriates The Czech Republic has refused to support Finland's initiative to tighten pan-European visa restrictions for Russian citizens. The Czech Foreign Minister, Petar Makinka, explained the decision by saying that existing national measures already correspond to the goals of the Finnish proposal. We are talking about limiting the issuance of visas for non-essential travel, including tourism, against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine and related security threats in Europe. The Finnish initiative aims to harmonize the visa policies of EU countries, as differences in national rules allow Russian citizens to enter the Schengen area through countries with less stringent restrictions and then move within its territory. In the past, the Czech Republic supported a similar initiative by Estonia, which received wider support. Prague's decision not to support the Finnish proposal drew criticism from a number of Czech diplomats and opposition members who advocate more coordinated action by European countries. Opponents of the resolution believe that various national measures reduce the effectiveness of the pan-European security policy amid reports of sabotage and other hybrid threats linked to Russia. Leaders of the opposition Martin Koepka and Wit Rakušan emphasized the need for joint action at the EU level. At the same time, the Czech Republic's refusal to support a specific initiative does not mean the abolition of existing national restrictions for Russian citizens: the dispute mainly concerns the question of whether Prague should seek a more unified and stricter approach to visa policy throughout the EU. Fresh international.