Ali Nesin, also a victim of European visa regulations

In our academic list, we have received a mail from Ali Nesin, famous mathematician and also son of Aziz Nesin. He was officially invited to a ceremony in Germany but because of never ending bureacratic demands from the German consulate, he decided not to go… This is not the first time and will probably not be the last one…

Before hearing this news, I was talking to some foreign friends and telling them I have no intention to go to Europe recently at all due to humiliating visa regulations. Many European countries attempt to stop immigrants etc but they prevent first of all those who does not aim to stay in Europe. Those who attempt to illegally stay in European countries have the determination to go through painful visa processes and in the end they accomplish what they aimed. In the mean time, many people like us, prefer not to visit Europe. I don’t think we really lose. Increasingly xenophic Europeans are the losers. And I love Americans, even after September 11, they are more practical minded in visa issues…