During his visit to the region yesterday, Putin confirmed that his government has agreed with the EU on the introduction of visa-free travelling for Kaliningrad Oblast.
The whole oblast will be included in the agreement. An equally big area both in Poland and Lithuania will be included in the special zone, Putin said in a meeting with representatives of the local population.
The news was confirmed in Putin’s talk with a local entrepreneur, a transcript from the government’s press service reveals.
The Prime Minister’s visit to Kaliningrad was strategically timed just one day ahead of his visit to Brussels. As reported by BarentsObserver, Putin will bring with him more than ten cabinet ministers to the meetings with the EU Commission on Thursday. The Kaliningrad visa issue was expected to be on the meeting agenda.
Read more: Visa-free traveling to the test
With the establishment of the a visa-free zone between the exclave of Kaliningrad and the surrounding EU countries, more than four million people will get the chance to cross the Schengen border without regular visas.
On the Polish side, the cities of Gdansk, Elblag and Olsztyn are expected to be included, while both Klaipeda and Kaunas might be included from the Lithuanian side.
Both the Russian and Polish sides have long called for the establishment of the zone. Both parts have pushed on Brussels for the inclusion of all of Kaliningrad, not an easy task considering that the Schengen Treaty opens up for only visa-free zones in a 30 km range from the border. Kaliningrad City is located 60 km from the borderline, while the Polish City of Gdansk is located about 70 km from the border.
Read also: Putin wants more local visa-free zones
The agreement will be Russia’s second agreement on socalled local border traffic. In November last year, Russia signed the first such agreement with Norway. That agreement will allow for the local population to cross the border in a 30 km range in the Arctic municipalities of Pechenga (Russia) and Sør-Varanger (Norway).
Read more: Visa-free border travel: First Poland – then Norway?
During his visit to Kaliningrad, Putin also reiterated that the ultimate goal of the Russian authorities is the introduction of visa-free travelling with the whole EU
