Malta revoked Zakharova's visa over Baltic objections

The revocation of the Maltese visa of Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova is due to the refusal of three European Union (EU) states to lift the ban on her travels. This was reported on December 4 by the Times of Malta with reference to a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Malta.

The material notes that unlike Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Zakharova is under EU sanctions and can not enter the territory of the European Union, including Malta. Zakharova needs approval from all EU members in order to obtain entry clearance.

Times of Malta specifies that the countries that opposed the diplomat's flight to Malta were Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

The fact that Zakharova's Maltese visa for the OSCE was canceled became known the day before. The organizers linked the decision to "circumstances beyond their control." The Foreign Ministry called it an unprecedented case, since the visa issued to the diplomat was canceled before the departure of the Russian delegation. Lavrov called the incident an insult to the country's functions as chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The Foreign Ministry said Russia plans to take part in an OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Malta in early October. In November, it was reported that Poland and its partners could not agree on their reaction to Lavrov's participation in the meeting.