The consul and political advisor of the Serbian Embassy in Havana, Jelena Zivojinovic, confirmed this Thursday to 14ymedio that as of April 14, Cubans will need a tourist or work visa to travel to their country. The measure, intended to contain illegal emigration, may be revoked “in the future” if the island’s citizens “demonstrate” that they can travel to the Balkan nation and return to Cuba, the diplomat specified.
“We had to apply for a visa,” says Zivojinovic, after explaining that the immigration situation has become unsustainable. For several years, Serbia has become the trampoline so that many Cubans enter the European Union illegally. “Cubans emigrate a lot,” he analyzes, and have reached the “red illegal migration category” according to the Twenty-seven, which is why his country decided to put a stop to the free visa regime.
Despite the restrictions, Zivojinovic recalled, “with a letter of invitation from someone in Serbia, the visa continues to be granted, in addition to the fact that there are many Cubans who travel for work.” The Secretary of the Embassy added that very soon they will make available to those interested, on their website, the forms and requirements to apply for the visa.
The Secretary of the Embassy added that very soon they will make available to those interested, on their website, the forms and requirements to apply for the visa.
It is the first time since 1966, after the signing of an agreement between Belgrade and Havana, that Serbia demands this document from Cubans, although it is not known if Cuba will take a “reciprocal measure” and demand, in turn, a visa to the serbs. At the end of 2022, when the Government of Belgrade withdrew the free visa to various countries such as India, Guinea Bissau, Burundi and Tunisia, it began to be suspected that the Island could enter the list of nations for which the demands would increase, as a result of pressure from the European Union.
In December 2022, after an incident In which a group of Cubans were prevented from traveling from Frankfurt (Germany) to Belgrade, the diplomatic headquarters assured this newspaper that there was no change in the immigration regulations between the two countries and blamed the airline.
This year the situation of several groups of Cuban passengers who have not been allowed to enter Serbian territory, and who have remained for days in overcrowded conditions at the Belgrade international airport, has been reported. Since last March 24, 23 Cubans have been detained in shelters at the air terminal, according to denounced he youtuber MH Europe.
From the Cubans, who “intended to enter the country as tourists,” their papers were withheld and they were asked for 300 euros to process “a visa.” “The reality is that Serbia no longer wants Cubans,” he stated.
Last week, this newspaper reported that the Serbian immigration authorities allowed the entry of 19 Cubans who were detained at that same airport. Eight others were deported and the fate of at least eight others remained unknown.
Last week, this newspaper reported that the Serbian immigration authorities allowed the entry of 19 Cubans who were detained at that same airport.
The establishment of the visa coincides, however, with several steps of economic rapprochement between the two countries. This Tuesday, the island’s ambassador to Serbia, Leyde Ernesto Rodríguez Hernández – who took office just a few days ago, on March 16 – paid a visit to Jiri Marex and Bosko Rupic, executive and commercial directors, respectively, of the Air Serbia company. According to a note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rodríguez visited the headquarters of this airline to evaluate “the possibilities of establishing a direct flight between Belgrade and Havana.”
In addition, they agreed to keep in communication about “possible direct flights, by tour operators in Serbia, to the Cuban tourist market.” Other notes from the Cuban Foreign Ministry attest to the excellent state of trade relations between both nations.
Asked about this contact between the Island’s diplomats and Air Serbia, precisely when Cuban access to that country is being restricted, Zivojinovic argued that “one thing has nothing to do with the other.” The project to establish a Havana-Belgrade connection “has been around for a long time,” she said. “Now it is being finalized,” especially to stimulate Serbian tourism to Cuba.
In addition to the tourism sphere, Rodríguez has started talks with Serbian businessmen in the industrial, agri-food and transport spheres, and plans, together with the director of the Dynamic Elchem company, Milos Stefanovic, to secure an investment to assemble “complete equipment for the production of chocolate”.
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