Portugal opposes the ban on entry of Russian tourists to the European Union. This was stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country in response to an inquiry by ECO.

 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal emphasized that the purpose of sanctions against Moscow should not be to punish the Russian people.

 "Portugal believes that the main goal of the sanctions regime is to punish the Russian military machine, not the Russian people," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

 "Portugal will take part in the discussion that may eventually take place at the European level on this issue, contributing to the development of a unified position of the EU member states, as we have always done," the department added.

 In addition to Portugal, Germany, Greece and Cyprus have already spoken against the ban on issuing tourist visas to all Russians.