The Foreign Ministry said Friday that Canada is asking too many questions on a new visa application form.
Canada introduced the new form in October, requiring Russians wishing to travel there to give a detailed account of their military service, asking to provide “branch of service, unit numbers and names of your commanding officers” as well as “dates and places of any active combat.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko told Friday’s briefing that the form is “excessive” and “raising serious questions.”
“It contradicts the mainly positive dynamics of Russian-Canadian relations and will make it more difficult for Russians to obtain a visa,” Nesterenko said, vowing to retaliate in kind unless Canada backs down.
The Union of Russian Travel Agencies has warned that submitting a completed form could violate state laws on military secrets.
(AP)
