The European Union must not stop Russian tourists from visiting the bloc, Germany and France said ahead of a foreign ministers' meeting in Prague that will discuss demands by the Baltic states and some other members for a visa ban.
"While understanding the concerns of some member states in this context we should not underestimate the transformative power of experiencing life in democratic systems at first hand, especially for future generations," a Franco-German document seen by Reuters on Tuesday said.
"Our visa policies should reflect that and continue to allow for people-to-people contacts in the EU with Russian nationals not linked to the Russian government."
Later on Tuesday, EU foreign ministers come together for a two-day meeting in Prague.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold)
