Federica Mogherini will demand explanations from Moscow for blacklisting EU officials

European Union's incoming High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, said on Monday she planned demanding explanations from Moscow over a blacklist of EU officials and parliamentary deputies who were banned from visiting Russia.

Mogherini, who was expected to quit the position of Italy's Foreign Minister in November, said it was totally unacceptable that a list of this kind existed and that it had not been published with appropriate comments to date.

She said it while taking questions at a session of the European Parliament's committee for foreign policy when she was asked about her attitude to the denial of entry of Russia to MEP Rebecca Harms

Harms, who is known for her vociferous support for the incumbent Ukrainian government, decided to visit Moscow for attending court trial of the Ukrainian Air Force pilot Nadiya Savchenko, whom Moscow accuses of espionage and complicity in the activities, which resulted in the death of Russian reporters in eastern Ukraine.

She was stopped by passport control officials upon landing at Moscow's Sheremetyevo international airport September 25 and was put on a return flight to Brussels three hours later. The officials told her she had been declared persona non grata.
Mogherini said that if she was endorsed at her new position by the European Parliament, she would challenge Moscow's decision.

Russian Ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov said earlier the decision to deny entry to MEP Harms had been taken regardless of her plans to attend court procedures over the Savchenko case but was a relatiatory measure the Russian side had resorted to after the EU had banned the issuance of travel visas to a big enough group of deputies of the State Duma and the Federation Council..................en.itar-tass.com
7/10/14
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Related:

• EU Condemns Russia for Barring Entry to MEP, Rebecca Harms...

• Moscow has denied an entry visa to MEP Rebecca Harms regardless of the investigation over the Ukrainian citizen Nadezhda Savchenko, a Ukrainian army serviceman facing a trial in Russia for her wrongdoings, Vladimir Chizhov, the ambassador to the EU told a group of Russian reporters here Friday....

• European MEP denied entry to Russia amid speculation of new sanctions against Europe

• "Unerwünschte Person": Grünen-Politikerin an Einreise nach Russland gehindert...

• A prominent European lawmaker said Thursday that she was turned back at a Moscow airport because she is persona non grata in Russia...