SOCHI, Russia, Aug 24 (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev urged Luxembourg on Tuesday to help Russia clinch a visa-free travel agreement with the European Union, part of a long-running campaign to overcome opposition to the idea in Western Europe.
Russia has consistently named visa-free travel as its top priority in relations with the EU. This year it received backing for the idea from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Finnish President Tarja Halonen.
But European fears of illegal migration and crime have trumped the prospect of a surge in Russian tourism and investment. A deal to ease visa restrictions in 2007 has not led to any significant moves towards the complete scrapping of them.
"The visa issue is one of the key questions. We count on your support," Medvedev told Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker at a meeting on Monday at the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Juncker vowed the "quickest resolution" of the issue, adding that Europe has been stalling for too long.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin earlier this month demonstrated Russia’s flexibility on its own tough visa restrictions by offering football fans visa-free travel if Russia succeeds in its bid to host the 2018 football World Cup.
