Poland Lifts Visas for Russian Exclave Kaliningrad

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski (L) arrive for a news conference after their negotiations in Moscow, Russia, 14 December 2011. EPA/BGNES

Residents of Poland's north-eastern border regions and the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad will soon be able to travel back and forth without visas, according to a Polish-Russian agreement sealed Wednesday.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov signed a deal Wednesday regulating border traffic between their countries' neighboring regions, at a ceremony in Moscow, DPA reported.

Lavrov declared that Russia hopes the agreement, due to go into effect in 2012, will pave the way for a complete abolition of visas required for almost all travellers between Russia and the European Union - of which Poland is a member, as cited by the Interfax news agency.

The roughly 1 million residents of Russia's Kalinigrad province will be able obtain a transit pass under the deal, allowing them to travel into Poland.

At the same time, Poles living in border regions near Kaliningrad, including residents of the city of Gdansk, will likewise be allowed to visit the Russian territory visa-free for up to 30 days.

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