In an attempt to stop a trickle of Slovak Roma asylum seekers from coming into their country, Norway announced July 26 that it would temporarily suspend the visa exemption agreement between Slovakia and Norway for four months. In doing so, the country followed the suit of its neighbour Finland, which imposed a visa requirement for Slovaks in early July after more than 1,000 Roma sought asylum there.
The TASR news agency reported that 57 Slovak Roma have recently fled to Norway. The Norwegian visa suspension will be applied until November 6. Holders of diplomatic passports will be exempt from this regulation.
