Russia Invites U.S. to Make History by Abolishing Visas

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin invited America to pass up Europe and make a “historic step” on Thursday by traveling to Russia without visa restrictions. Vice President Joe Biden, in Moscow for a visit, called the initiative “a good idea.” The work on the practical details of this proposal has not yet begun.

Among the Russian politicians and political scientists questioned by RIA Novosti there was no opposition to the abolishing of visas. But there were no shortage of skeptics who were quick to challenge the feasibility of the prime minister’s intentions and were already blaming the American administration.

“If Russia and the United States are able to agree on the abolishing of visas earlier than the EU it would be a historic step in the advancement of Russian-American relations,” said Putin, opening the meeting with the vice president. “Good idea,” answered Biden. His visit is framed against the backdrop of the two-year relations “reset” declared by both countries after Barack Obama came to power. The abolishing of visas, according to Putin, would enable the collapse of all old stereotypes between Russia and the United States. “We would turn back the significant pages in our past and start all over,” he said, emphasizing the importance of Biden’s backing due to his influence in the American administration and Congress.

The Deputy Head of Russia’s government office, Yuri Ushakov, later told journalists that Russia had started speaking with the Americans about the visa abolishing first, but no solid steps in that direction have been taken yet. “[The proposal] was made especially because it emphasizes the point that positive impacts from above must manifest themselves as real acts. Then it will be easier for both sides to let go of their traditional stereotypes,” explained Ushakov, who for many years was the Russian Ambassador to Washington.

Optimism and Pessimism

The experts interviewed by RIA Novosti didn’t see major technical difficulties with a quick transition to a visa-less policy and called the achievement of appropriate arrangements a matter of “political will.” Its presence on the American side, for some agency sources, is not clear despite Biden’s initial good-natured reaction.

“For me it’s completely understandable that it (the idea of abolishing visas) is unreal and the problems here do not lie with Russia but with America. They invent so many issues … for the Americans with their strict visa policy it’s hardly possible,” said Leonid Kalashnikov, the first deputy head of the state duma committee on foreign affairs and legislator for the Communist Party. The head of this committee, Konstantin Kosachev, agreed, saying, “Everything will depend only on the decision of the American administration,” but he gives a much more optimistic prognosis. “I have no doubt that this will happen in the near future. From a technical point of view it’s a question of one, two or three years. What’s more, it’s a question of political will.”

Also on the skeptical side is the director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Analysis, Sergei Oznobishchev, who thinks that the introduction of a visa-free policy is “completely impractical in the foreseeable future.”

“Of course, the two sides will work in this direction but it’s completely clear that from the ‘70s they haven’t repealed the (economically discriminating) Jackson-Vanik amendment, let alone the abolishing of the visa laws,” he said.

At this time, Russia is working through the transition to a visa-less policy with the European Union. At the last EU-Russia Summit, which took place from May 31 to June 1, 2010, the Europeans were given a project agreement on the abolishing of visas. At the last December summit, the parties agreed on mutual steps which would expose problems associated with the transition and their solutions. An example of success toward the achievement of a visa-less relationship was Russia’s agreement with Israel, who is known to be unwilling to compromise in matters of safety. The two countries abolished visa requirements in 2008. During this time, the Israeli authorities calculated that the influx of Russian tourists more than doubled. Every year Israel earns several hundred million additional dollars, although criminological factors have not undergone any significant changes.

Economic Reset

Russia was called on to devote top-priority attention to the economic component of the “reset.” Biden deliberated with Putin in detail on such issues as Russia’s entrance into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and perspectives on the repeal of the discriminatory Jackson-Vanik amendment, which has been complicating trade between the two countries since the ‘70s. “Now is the time to focus on the economy … I would view the previous eight years — did not take advantage of the opportunities that exist for both our countries.” said Vice President Biden at the meeting with Putin.

Biden mentioned in particular that the U.S. is persuading Georgia to quit blocking Russia’s entrance into the WTO. “The Russian Prime Minister plainly emphasized that it’s a political issue; it’s just hanging. He expressed satisfaction on the matter of the Americans correcting all the problems in this plan,” Ushakov reported to journalists about the outcome of the meeting. That being said, he also noted that the Americans did not promise to fix the issue with Georgia.

Russia has been trying to become a member of the WTO since 1993. In April 2008, Georgia left the negotiations, protesting against the order of the Russian president to remove economic sanctions from Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The negotiations have now been renewed and are taking place in the Swiss capital, Berne.

At the meeting with Putin, Biden promised to achieve the repeal of Jackson-Vanik in Congress. According to Ushakov, Biden hinted that the U.S. administration was “seriously aimed at linking Russia’s joining of the WTO with finally repealing the disastrous amendment.” This topic came up the day before. At the negotiations with Biden, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was reminded that the Jackson-Vanik issue accompanies practically all Russian-American negotiations, and he expressed hope that at the next negotiation it will have become a thing of the past. The amendment was ratified by Congress in 1974 and instituted limitations on trade with the Soviet Union. The cause of the adoption of the amendment was the Soviet Union’s lack of free immigration. Today, the amendment formally continues to be in effect in the former Soviet Republics. Since 1989, the U.S. has instituted moratoriums on the effect of the amendment, although Congress has not officially repealed it.

Meeting with Human Rights Activists

Entrance into the WTO and the Jackson-Vanik amendment also came up at Biden’s meeting with Russian human rights activists. In the words of the participants, the vice president hinted that it will be difficult to anticipate a favorable outcome of the issues without “Advancing … honest elections and establishing democracy.”

“He said that in order for Russia to become a member of the WTO, Congress has to vote for the repeal of Jackson-Vanik. Congress’ vote will be favorable only if Russia advances honest elections and the establishment of democracy,” the head of the human rights group Memorial, Oleg Orlov, told RIA Novosti.

At the invitation of the American diplomat in residence, the Russians raised the question of the expansion of the U.S.-Russian Civil Society Working Group mandate. “Besides the issues of the juvenile correction system, migration and corruption, Svetlana Gannushkina, chair of the Civil Society, proposed raising the issue of the judicial system and human rights violations in regards to the War on Terror. As far as I know, the American source found an understanding,” Orlov said.

The leader of the movement to save the Khimki forest, Eugeniya Chirikova, reported on Twitter that Biden presented her with the International Women of Courage Award from the U.S. State Department. This award was instituted in 2007 by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. Since then, 36 women in 27 countries have received it. Chirikova wrote that she had given Biden the results of socio-ecological assessments with dozens of alternatives for resolving the problem of the Khimki forest, through which the construction of a new highway is planned.