How long the Russian-Turkish visa-free regime remains suspended will depend on the success of the operation against ISIL in Syria and the state of the bilateral relationship, says Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the State Duma Committee for International Affairs.
Earlier on Friday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russia is suspending its visa-free regime with Turkey.
“Serious weakening of ISIL, ousting it from the area it currently occupies, leaving it without the consolidated base it has now received in the form of 40% of the Iraqi territory and 30% of Syria’s – I think this will largely defuse the threat of Islamic militants operating on a broader scale,” Pushkov said.
The most important factor in this issue is the state of the Russian-Turkish relations, the committee chief said.
“If Turkey continues stalemating this relationship, continues to provide de-facto aid to ISIL militants, fails to control their movements on its own territory, supplies them with everything necessary, supports their actions in Syria, then we, of course, will not be able to return to the visa-free regime,” Pushkov said.
The introduction of visa requirements with Turkey reflects the sudden deterioration in the bilateral relationship, which occurred through Turkey’s fault, he said.
“We have to reckon with the fact that Turkey is a transit point for terrorists, this is transit not just for people but also for the weapons and the transport heading to the ISIL operating zone with weapons and other necessary supplies,” the parliamentarian said.
One cannot rule out terrorist infiltration of Russia from Turkey because the Syrian-Turkish border is transparent for them, and Turkey takes no action to stop transit into the ISIL-controlled area, Pushkov said. The visa regime will allow leaving out thos who might raise suspicions.
