Brussels, 14/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 14 December, Poland and Russia signed an agreement on movement in both directions between the regions of northern Poland and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, the Polish Foreign Ministry has announced. The agreement was signed in Moscow by the foreign ministers of the two countries, Radoslaw Sikorski and Sergei Lavrov, an official press release from Warsaw states. With this agreement, the inhabitants of the little bit of Russia blocked between Poland and Lithuania, both of which are EU member states, and those of part of the Voivodeships of Gdansk and Olsztyn, will be able to make journeys in either direction without the need for visas. This will apply to journeys to maintain family, social and cultural links and for business contacts not related to paid work in the country of destination. The inhabitants of the Russian enclave, who will be able to travel to Poland armed with a special permit provided by the Polish Consulate will not, however, be permitted to travel further in Poland than the limits set out in the agreement or stay more than the number of days indicated. To be able to obtain their permit, they must have lived in the Russian enclave for at least three years. Anyone caught breaking the rules will be banned from entering Poland for a period of five years. The agreement affects the entire Russian enclave of 15,000 km2 with a population of around 950,000. It does not affect citizens of metropolitan Russia. (LC/transl.rt)