The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine prepares a note to the Embassy of Belgium to Ukraine, expressing its concern about the refusal of the Embassy to grant visas to a group of Ukrainians, who were due to visit Brussels on invitation of a European Parliament’s Member.

Foreign Ministry’s press-service chief Andriy Deshchytsia claimed this to a news conference today.

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“Presently we are preparing a note, which will be sent to the Embassy of Belgium to Ukraine. In the note we express our concern about this attitude to Ukrainian citizens, in particular, considering the fact that the decision to ban their entry was made when Ukraine and European Union countries have been holding talks to facilitate the visa regime”, A.Deshchytsia said.

He added that this attitude to Ukrainian citizens is alarming.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Embassy of Belgium refused to grant visas to a group of Ukrainians, who were going to study the work of European institutions on the invitation of a MEP.

According to the information of Euro-Atlantic Integration Institute projects coordinator Oksana Shuliar, who was busy with drawing up the documents, a group of 45 people included representatives of the Foreign Ministry, the Verkhovna Rada, the Confederation of Free Trade Unions, Correspondent magazine, Kyiv Post newspaper, several TV-programs, the Committee of the Voters of Ukraine, the Party of Regions, Our Ukraine, etc..

Besides, the European Parliament officially agreed to finance the visit of the Ukrainians to Brussels.

O.Shuliar stressed that the Belgian Embassy was provided with thorough information about every member of the group.

“Basing on the results of the interview, the Embassy clearly stated that one member of the group could not outline the aim of the visit, and his answers did not satisfy the consulate members. On the basis of this, the Embassy established that the group included people who cannot clearly determine the aim of their visit, and refused to grant visas to the whole group, despite the fact that every person submitted documents to receive an individual visa”, O.Shuliar emphasized.

In addition, the embassy did not like that the group was so “variegated”, that is, it included journalists, economists, and politicians.