Iran Expects Response on Complete Visa Regime Cancellation with Russia: Ambassador

The agreement on visa-free group tours between Russia and Iran is set to come into effect this year. However, the Iranian side is also interested in the complete elimination of visas, said the Islamic Republic's ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, in a blitz interview at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

“As for the abolition of visas for all our citizens, we are also interested in this. It is only a matter of time. We would like to reach an agreement with the Russian Federation on the elimination of visas for all our citizens,” the ambassador stated. “We have been working on this issue and are awaiting a positive response from the Russian side,” the diplomat added.

Earlier, Moscow and Tehran had agreed to cancel the visa regime for tourist groups. The provision for groups of tourists consisting of 5 to 50 individuals to visit both countries and stay for up to 15 days is expected to be implemented this year. This was mentioned in March by the Russian Minister of Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov.

To activate the bilateral agreement signed in 2017, the parties must exchange lists of authorized tourist companies. “The Russian side has presented its authorized companies, and the Iranian side has presented its authorized companies, which will jointly implement this agreement,” Ambassador Jalali said on June 14.