MOSCOW. April 16 (Interfax) - The European Union has not made clear decisions on the prospect of granting Schengen visas to Crimean residents and for now Crimean residents can apply for visa same way as before the 2014 events, Spanish Ambassador to Moscow Jose Ignacio Carbajal said.
When asked to comment on the rumors that Crimean residents will be denied Schengen visas due to their place of residence, Carbajal said: "This is not accurate information. We have so far received no instructions. This issue is under consideration."
For now "residents of Crimea should ask for visas from the same authorities they did before the occupation of Crimea," the ambassador said.
"As the European Commission has officially stated, EU member states do not recognize the occupation of Crimea by Russia but this does not prevent resident of Crimea from acquiring visas from the same authorities they did before the current events. Moreover, there will be many exceptions of humanitarian nature," he said.
When asked whether it means that theoretically Crimean residents, who have Russian passports, will be able to go to the Spanish embassy in Kyiv with Russian international passports and apply for a visa, Carbajal said: "Yes, it does."
Full interview of the Spanish ambassador will be posted on www.interfax.com.