MFA: Slovakia Considers Each Case Individually When Granting Humanitarian Visas

Bratislava, September 25 (TASR) – Slovakia considers each case individually when granting humanitarian visas, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Juraj Tomaga has told TASR in reaction to the recent decision of several European countries not to grant such visas to Russians fleeing the partial mobilisation in their country.

“The category of humanitarian visas is not a precise definition. In fact, there is only the granting of visas in the humanitarian interest, and currently the Slovak Republic assesses each case individually, irrespective of the country of origin. In the case of this visa category, the Foreign Affairs Ministry is not the sole decision-making body,” the spokesman clarified.

He also pointed to the fact that the processing of visa applications in Russia has become more difficult since the country decided to reduce the number of staff in Slovak representative offices. “This has had an impact on the absorption capacity of our consular service in the country,” he added.

Slovakia thus hasn’t joined the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which have decided not to grant humanitarian visas to the Russians in the meantime.