Bulgaria’s Ilian Vassilev Put on Russia’s Travel Ban List

Bulgaria’s former ambassador to Russia Ilian Vassilev is on Moscow’s list of 89 European Union politicians barred from entering Russia, the Foreign Ministry in Sofia said on Saturday.

The Bulgarian Embassy in Moscow informed the ministry on Friday afternoon that a list of nationals of EU member states, who had been denied access to the Russian Federation, was received via the EU Delegation in Moscow  

“The list contains 89 names including Bulgarian national Ilian Vassilev,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

As Moscow has provided no reasons for the travel ban, Bulgaria, together with its partners in the EU will seek clarification for each individual case of a European citizen denied access to Russia, according to the statement.

Ilian Vassilev was Bulgaria’s ambassador to Russia from 2000 to 2006. Currently, he is energy and financial consultant in Sofia.

“I am proud that that I have left no doubt where I stand and what principles I stand for in defending the values and the rights of my countrymen and Europeans,” Vassilev commented on his blog.

”That’s why I’ve been put on this list of 89 Europeans and the company is more than a prestigious one”.

Among those on the list is Uwe Corsepius, current secretary general of the European Union council in Brussels who is due to take over as foreign affairs advisor to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Reuters said.

Britain's former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, former Belgian premier Guy Verhofstadt, who heads the Liberal group in the European parliament, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte are also on the list alongside acting ministers, such as Poland's deputy Justice Minister Robert Kupiecki and the head of Sweden's tax authority Eva Lidstrom Adler .

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