The EU will not recognize Russian passports issued in the occupied territories of Georgia and Ukraine
EU does not recognize Russian passports in Abkhazia
The European Council has decided not to recognize foreign passports and travel documents issued by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine and Georgia.
This decision will be considered by the European Parliament in the near future and, if approved, will go into effect immediately. From now on residents of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and all Russian-annexed regions of Ukraine will no longer be able to use their Russian passports to obtain visas and other documents to cross the border of Schengen countries.
The European Union strongly supports the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia and Ukraine, and Russian travel documents issued to residents of the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine and Georgia are illegal, the European Council said in its decision.
“We will never recognize the violation of the fundamental rights to independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and Georgia. The European Union stands unitedly and firmly on the side of both countries and their peoples,” the European Council said in a statement.
After the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, the Russian Federation began distributing Russian passports to the population. Since April 2019 Russia has continued this practice in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions under their control.
According to the European Council, the systematic issuance of Russian passports in the occupied regions is another violation of international law and interference in the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
EU does not recognize Russian passports in Abkhazia
