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TAC 2012 Russian team - Team Sputnik

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Марк
Senior Member
Russian Federation
Joined 4850 days ago

2096 posts - 2972 votes 
Speaks: Russian*

 
 Message 505 of 672
26 June 2012 at 12:33pm | IP Logged 
tarvos wrote:
No, it isn't. If that were the case then all South American countries
should also be
demanding visas for Western European countries, and they're not.

The reason we have visas for Russia is because if we didn't we would be flooded with
economic migrants coming here to take all our jobs (see what the Poles, Bulgarians,
Romanians etc are doing). That's why we have a visa (also a tourist visa, because
people will illegally overstay, which is what we're trying to deter). However, Russia
does not need to demand visas for us (let alone tourist visas!!!!!!!!) because that
means they cheat themselves out of a whole lot of money they could simply make by
allowing people into Moscow and St. Petersburg, which would be a simple source of
income for Russia. Instead they're doing the Autocratic Meanie Bollocks thing.

It's very simple. If Russia allows the EU/US visas, we're not going to migrate to
Moscow en masse because we're poor sods. We have visas for Bolivians and they don't
have it for us: why? Because if we come to Bolivia we will spend money on them and
develop their country! Not because we're actually going to live en masse in Bolivia.

The same for a whole lot of African countries, etc. Demanding a visa for tourism is
simply not on and it's especially not on in the silly bureaucratic way Russia does it.

Bolivia doesn't respect itself while Russia does. We allowed to come to our country
without visa to citizens of the countries which allowed the same to Russians. Why don't
you suffer the lack of tourism despite all those visas? How many Europeans have visited
Ukraine for example since they allowed to come without visas?
And this silly bureaucratic way was completely borrowed from "Western" countries.
Nowadays it became very easy for Russians to travel everywhere, except for the Western
Europe and Northern America.
So, The Russian government officially announced: it will abandon visas with the EU, if
the EU agrees to do the same. That's fair, I support this.
2 persons have voted this message useful



tarvos
Super Polyglot
Winner TAC 2012
Senior Member
China
likeapolyglot.wordpr
Joined 4501 days ago

5310 posts - 9399 votes 
Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans
Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish

 
 Message 506 of 672
26 June 2012 at 2:34pm | IP Logged 
This isn't about respect, it's about money. I don't care who came up with the "rules".

We don't suffer lack of tourism because, shocker, most of our tourism is inter-EU (from
other EU countries or rich countries that have an easy time getting a visa:
commonwealth states, Japan, Korea, etc). That's a whole lot of rich people spending
money on our economy!

Quote:
How many Europeans have visited
Ukraine for example since they allowed to come without visas?


A lot more. And they will continue to do so - just look at Euro 2012.

Quote:
Nowadays it became very easy for Russians to travel everywhere, except for the
Western
Europe and Northern America.


Russia has oil money, man. Those governments that you have trade relationships with
simply
want your oil.


Edited by tarvos on 26 June 2012 at 2:50pm

1 person has voted this message useful



Tecktight
Diglot
Winner TAC 2012
Senior Member
United States
Joined 4770 days ago

227 posts - 327 votes 
Speaks: English*, Serbian
Studies: German, Russian, Estonian

 
 Message 507 of 672
26 June 2012 at 2:56pm | IP Logged 
Mark, I'm sorry, but give me a break.

Every single Russian I have spoken to here agrees with me when I say that the visa process is ridiculous. Not only
that, but it's damn expensive. Anyone planning to visit Russia should plan to spend an extra 300 euros minimum
and also have their passport held hostage for weeks.

I find it ridiculous that I have to go through this extensive process each time I want to visit my mom. And I even
have a Russian birth certificate (though no longer citizenship).

It would be nothing but beneficial for Russia to have European tourists. Tourism brings money. Tourists are the
ones who would be buying souvenirs at stores, clothes in the expensive malls, and going to restaurants. Yes,
Russians go out to restaurants and bring in money, but in certain popular places, like the Arbat and near the
Kremlin, tourists are the ones who provide a big percentage of the money. I have some friends who work in local
cafes here in Moscow and they love serving foreigners because foreigners tip. Most Russians tip something like
100 rubles for a full meal...and most don't tip at all, seeing it's not customary.

It's exactly attitudes like yours that are detrimental to the image of Russia. Interacting with the West doesn't
make Russia less Russian. It just makes it seem less of a stubborn bull whose got its iron curtain panties in a
twist and is perpetually angry for it.

With your comments on the forum, and many people I have met in real life who hold similar views to you, it's
always "the West" thinks X, while Russia thinks "Y." Europe vs. Russia, Russia vs. Europe. Russia vs. America,
America vs. Russia.
It's not that simple. We're all, in fact, kind of similar people. I live in the periphery of these two sides. I know both
of them well, and I know that they can both get along.


2 persons have voted this message useful



Марк
Senior Member
Russian Federation
Joined 4850 days ago

2096 posts - 2972 votes 
Speaks: Russian*

 
 Message 508 of 672
26 June 2012 at 3:04pm | IP Logged 
Why does China require visas? It is definitely a pragmatic country. are there any figures
about tourism in Ukraine? Euro 2012 is a unique event, we shouldn't count it.
I think the increase of tourism won't be significant but it will be a significant
deviation from Russian principles. If it were important for the EU countries to ease visa
regime with Russia, they would have already done it.
I don't know what's the connection with oil, but how can the Western countries say they
are open when they make so much requirements and so many refusals. Especially the USA.
They also criticized the Soviet Union because it restricted its citizens' freedom of
movement. They must be grateful to the Soviet Union and other socialist states for that.
A "closed" country Iran gives its visas on arrival if you booked a hotel there, for
example.
1 person has voted this message useful



tarvos
Super Polyglot
Winner TAC 2012
Senior Member
China
likeapolyglot.wordpr
Joined 4501 days ago

5310 posts - 9399 votes 
Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans
Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish

 
 Message 509 of 672
26 June 2012 at 3:16pm | IP Logged 
Chinese government is also autocratic meanie bollocks, but a Chinese visa is way easier
to get. If Chinese people could emigrate to Europe en masse (or to the US), they would!

So, China is MAD that we have visas for Chinese people. Same reason as Russia, only the
Chinese want to do business with us so they're making it slightly easier.

Visas are an economic thing and have 0 to do with national pride.

Quote:
If it were important for the EU countries to ease visa
regime with Russia, they would have already done it.


But they don't, because they don't want mass immigration. Really, you think all the
Russians will stay put if we opened our borders?
1 person has voted this message useful



Марк
Senior Member
Russian Federation
Joined 4850 days ago

2096 posts - 2972 votes 
Speaks: Russian*

 
 Message 510 of 672
26 June 2012 at 3:19pm | IP Logged 
But aren't ridiculous the requirements which has established the USA during two past
decades? It is really difficult to get an American visa, especially if you have relatives
there. For example, if your parents live their and invite you, your chances of getting a
refusal grow up. Russia established such rules as a response. We do not require any visas
from more than thirty countries and their number is growing. The USA has logically one of
the toughest.

1 person has voted this message useful



tarvos
Super Polyglot
Winner TAC 2012
Senior Member
China
likeapolyglot.wordpr
Joined 4501 days ago

5310 posts - 9399 votes 
Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans
Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish

 
 Message 511 of 672
26 June 2012 at 3:25pm | IP Logged 
Yeah, the USA has tough visa requirements because if they don't, the world will emigrate
to the US en masse. Let it be known that I think the US and Australia have terrible visa
laws though. They're the exceptions (although I'm Dutch so I can get in for tourism no
problem)
1 person has voted this message useful



Tecktight
Diglot
Winner TAC 2012
Senior Member
United States
Joined 4770 days ago

227 posts - 327 votes 
Speaks: English*, Serbian
Studies: German, Russian, Estonian

 
 Message 512 of 672
26 June 2012 at 3:35pm | IP Logged 
Марк wrote:
But aren't ridiculous the requirements which has established the USA during two past
decades? It is really difficult to get an American visa, especially if you have relatives
there. For example, if your parents live their and invite you, your chances of getting a
refusal grow up. Russia established such rules as a response. We do not require any visas
from more than thirty countries and their number is growing. The USA has logically one of
the toughest.


In these same past two decades, the U.S. has been touted as the "golden land of opportunity." It was THE place to
immigrate to. That sentiment is, of course, dwindling severely now, but, generally speaking, many, many, many
more people try to immigrate to the U.S. than to Russia. The ones who try to immigrate to Russia are your
neighbors in the former USSR countries...mostly from the Caucuses and the 'Stan' nations. So it's only logical for
the U.S. to have stricter visa regulations than the other way around. Moreover, obtaining a visa for the U.S. is less
difficult for Europeans of means...i.e. people who statistically are not likely to move to the U.S. on a permanent
basis.

Moreover, many aspects of the Russian visa process are archaic and just silly. You know that a traveler can be
detained in Russia if he attempts to leave after his visa has expired. I've actually heard stories of people who've
overstayed half a day or less by accident, and were detained because of it. Logic would dictate a response more
akin to "Get the hell out of our country now, bozo!" to such a traveler, rather than "oh, let's keep you here for no
reason at all until you re-apply for a new visa (which you can't actually USE, by the way), so you can stay in the
little area we created adjacent to Sheremetyevo which consists of stark rooms with an armed guard, and which
rooms you can't leave for whatever reason unless specifically requested. have fun."




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