The Russian Ministry of Economic Development anticipates launching visa-free travel with Saudi Arabia, Oman, Malaysia, Bahrain, Myanmar, and several African nations by 2025. This was announced by Nikita Kondratyev, Director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects at the Ministry of Economic Development, during an interview with TASS at the Eastern Economic Forum.
“I am very hopeful because there is a strong demand from Russian tourists for these destinations, along with a notable increase in inbound tourism,” Kondratyev said in response to a question.
The Ministry of Economic Development, in collaboration with the Russian Foreign Ministry, is actively working on visa-free regime with key friendly nations. Intergovernmental agreements aimed at abolishing visas are being negotiated with Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Bahrain, and several African countries, primarily Kenya, according to Kondratyev.
An agreement on visa abolition with Myanmar is expected to be signed in the near future. A visa-free regime is already in place for Russian tourists visiting Myanmar. “We want to implement this on a bilateral basis so that Myanmar citizens can also visit Russia without visas. We have taken steps on our side, a draft agreement has been prepared, and it is currently being coordinated with Myanmar. We hope to have it signed by the end of this year,” Kondratyev added.
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Based on materials from TASS