Q.: Ok, so, let me ask you another question about visa regime between Britain and Russia. Does Britain plan to restart the talks on visa-facilitation regime between our two countries. Because if I am not mistaken a lot Russian citizens, especially businessmen have problems with getting British visas, as well as Britons who work here and have business have problems extending their work visas. So what do you think about this?
A.: I am not sure there is that much of a problem. 130,000 Russians get visas to come to the UK every year. We do not say ‘no’ to a higher number here than anywhere else in the world. We don’t have lots Russian hanging around in Britain at the end of their visas and not coming back. But I can’t see us [Britain] changing the visa regime at the moment.
Q.: Why? What is the reason?
A.: Because I think it works quite well as it is. I think that’s we’ve not detected any major problems for business at either end. There are lots, as I’ve said already, lots of Russian coming to the UK, there are lots of British people coming to Russia. And I know there is one element that Russia changed first, and we matched it, which was in terms of official visits and it is just a single-visit visa that we provide, but it was Russia to decide that first, and so now we mirror that.
Q.: How soon in your opinion would Russia and the EU switch to visa-free travel?
A.: I think it will take quite a long time myself. I know that my Spanish colleagues are keen to have talks with Russia at the moment and that’s excellent but you know there are issues with organized crime in Russia and the last thing we want to do in the European Union or in the UK is make it easier for organized crime to flourish because there is an open visa arrangement. And I think while the Spanish want to move fast some other countries will want to move much more slowly on these issues. And if Russia could prove that it didn’t have these issues with organized crime then that would make life much easier.
Q.: But not in the nearest future?
A.: I can’t see it happening. But, as you know, Britain has a slightly different [regime], we are not in the Schengen zone within the European Union, so the Schengen countries take a slightly different attitude. I know that several European countries are much more reluctant to have an open visa arrangement with Russia than for instance Spain is.
Я так понимаю, что это оригинал. Ссылко: http://www.interfax-news.com/interview.asp?id=147631
Пристыженный слабыми языковыми знаниями не берусь утверждать наверняка, но, мне кажется, что разница между оригиналом и переводом налицо