Ukrainian refugees show their documents before boarding a plane at Iasi International Airport in Romania, en route to Israel, March 8, 2022. Photo/REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
TEL AVIV – Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Evgeny Kornichuk doubled down on Kiev’s threat to Israel. He warned Ukraine might suspend its visa-free travel agreement with the country.
On Sunday (20/8/2023), Ambassador Evgeny Kornichuk outlined threats voiced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who cited reports of alleged mistreatment of Ukrainian citizens abroad.
Although the president did not explicitly mention Israel by name in his speech, the ambassador made it clear the statement was actually intended for that country.
Kornichuk said, “The Ukrainian government will not tolerate insults against its citizens upon entering Israel. We will suspend our bilateral visa exemption agreement, in accordance with Article 7 of the intergovernmental agreement.”
The potential suspension of the visa-free travel deal will especially affect Breslover Hasidim pilgrims who flock to the Ukrainian city of Uman to celebrate the Jewish New Year and visit the grave of the movement’s founder, Reb Nachman of Bratslav.
“It is unthinkable that we should go out of our way to host tens of thousands of Israelis in Uman, at high security risk and enormous logistical effort, while the Israeli government is abusing our citizens who come to Israel within the framework of the agreement between the two countries,” emphasized the Ukrainian ambassador.
He urged Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu to take the matter personally if “Israel wants its citizens to be able to come to Ukraine as tourists.”
Under the permanent agreement between the two countries, Ukrainian tourists can stay in Israel for up to three months under a simplified visa process.
2023-08-21 14:15:14
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