Russia discussing visa-free travel with 24 countries - Russian Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. March 2 (Interfax) - Moscow is holding negotiations on visa-free travel with 24 countries, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
"Negotiations on facilitating visa formalities are being conducted with 40 foreign countries, including those on repealing visas with 24 foreign countries," Zakharova said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry is currently analyzing the possibility of introducing short-term electronic visas to enter Russia, she said.
In commenting on an open letter by Russian travel operators to the Foreign Ministry, in which they asked it to simplify visa regulations to encourage foreigners to come to Russia, Zakharova said "the current procedure of granting Russian visas is a most liberal one."
"In its work in the visa field, the Russian Foreign Ministry is being guided primarily by equitability and reciprocity principles. The matter concerns willingness of a relevant country or a group of countries to grant similar visa preferences to Russian citizens," she said.