Citizens of Russia can lose their property in Estonia only in the event of debts

The property of Russian citizens in Estonia can only be sold in case of debts for its maintenance, declared Veiko Kommusaar, Vice-Chancellor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic, is on the air of Raadio 4.

Kommusaar noted that only 10% of the 4,500 Russian citizens who own real estate in Estonia do not have a residence permit and may find themselves in a difficult situation due to entry restrictions. The rest, who have a residence permit, this situation does not apply.

The vice-chancellor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs noted that people who no longer have access to their property can transfer it to third parties or specialized companies for management. “People who purchase housing in other countries should consider in advance whether they can always have access to this property. Yes, how to make bank transfers now is a difficult question. If there is a person or firm that is willing to look after this property, I believe there is a way to negotiate deferred payments,” said Kommusaar.

He also stressed that talk that someone could be deprived of property under the sanctions regime is premature. “If a person really finds himself in a situation where he cannot manage real estate and a debt is formed, in the most extreme case, an apartment can be sold to cover the debt,” the Vice-Chancellor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs explained.

Earlier, at an informal meeting in Prague of EU foreign ministers, the issue of banning the issuance of visas to Russian citizens was discussed. Several EU countries, including Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, actively support this initiative, while a number of countries oppose it. As a result, the EU countries came to a compromise and decided to terminate the simplified procedure for issuing visas. “This means that the number of visas issued will significantly decrease, it will be more difficult and longer to obtain visas,” said EU diplomat Josep Borrell.

Foreign Ministers of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia following the meeting released joint statement, in which they noted that they intend to temporarily ban the issuance of visas to Russian citizens, as well as their entry with visas of other EU countries.