Moscow and New Delhi are gearing up to fortify their tourism bonds through visa-free group tourist exchanges, as revealed by a Russian minister. Nikita Kondratyev, the Director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects at the Russian Economic Development Ministry, announced that consultations between Russia and India for a bilateral agreement to facilitate travel will kick off in June.

“India is in the final stages of internal state coordination,” Kondratyev stated, emphasizing the progress towards this collaborative effort. The initial discussions on the draft agreement are slated for June, with intentions to finalize and sign the agreement by year-end.

Drawing inspiration from successful models, Kondratyev highlighted Russia’s aim to emulate the accomplishments of visa-free tourist exchanges with China and Iran. Notably, Russia and China initiated their visa-free group tourist exchange on August 1 the prior year. Similarly, a visa-free group tourist exchange between Russia and Iran also commenced on the same date, marking the advent of enhanced tourism collaboration.

The announcement was made during the sidelines of the International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum 2024” held in Kazan, reflecting the significance of this development in the broader context of economic and cultural relations.