Moscow will not introduce a visa-free travel regime for EU citizens before the EU is ready to abolish visas for Russians, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We prefer to be guided by the principle of reciprocity in international relations," Lavrov said in an interview with Russian business daily Kommersant, which was published on Friday.
He said he expects a swift agreement on the issue, "especially as more than three dozen countries already have a visa-free travel regime with the EU, including some that are less favorable than Russia in terms of criminality.
Russia presented the EU with a draft agreement on the introduction of a visa-free travel regime during an EU-Russia summit in late May in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
Russian President said after the summit that nothing prevented Russia from abolishing visas for EU citizens "as early as tomorrow" if the EU was prepared to do the same for Russians.
Deputy Head of EU delegation to Russia Michael Webb said that the EU would consider the draft agreement, but Russia should not expect the abolishment of the visa regime any time soon.
MOSCOW, June 11 (RIA Novosti)