Russia Plans Visa-Free Travel for Middle East Citizens to Boost Tourism
Russia is taking steps to promote tourism by considering visa-free travel agreements for citizens from Middle East countries. According to reports from the state-run news agency TASS, Russia intends to eliminate visa requirements for visitors from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain.
Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum, confirmed these efforts, stating, “We have a rather successful visa regime with quite a few [Asian] countries. This is a very important task, and we will continue to implement it.”
Russian State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Ivanov added that Moscow is actively working on intergovernmental agreements for visa-free travel with a total of 11 countries, including:
- Malaysia
- Bahrain
- Oman
- Saudi Arabia
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Haiti
- Zambia
- Kuwait
- Mexico
- Trinidad and Tobago
Maxim Reshetnikov, Russia’s Minister of Economic Development, emphasized the potential benefits of visa-exemption for these countries. He mentioned, “We are exploring the topic of making the transition to visa-free travels. Countries of the Middle East and Southeast Asia are among those with which we interact. We offered full abolishment of visas to Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia. This is where incremental growth of premium class tourists is possible, and that’s why we are interested in it.”
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