Moscow: Consultations between India and Russia on a bilateral agreement to ease travel will begin in June, according to a Russian minister. Moscow and New Delhi are preparing to strengthen their tourism ties by launching visa-free group tourist exchanges.

“India is at the final stage of internal state coordination,” Nikita Kondratyev, director of the Russian Economic Development Ministry’s Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects, was quoted by RT News as saying on Wednesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the International Economic Forum Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum 2024 in Kazan, the minister stated that the first discussion on a draft agreement is scheduled for June, with a signing expected by the end of the year.

“Russia and India are set to strengthen their tourism ties as they gear up for the launch of visa-free group tourist exchanges. The first round of consultations between the two nations is scheduled for June, with an aim to finalise a bilateral agreement by the end of the year,” Kondratyev said.

He added that Russia plans to replicate the success of visa-free tourist exchanges already established with China and Iran.

Russia and China initiated their visa-free group tourist exchange on 1 August last year.

Similarly, a visa-free group tourist exchange between Russia and Iran commenced on the same date, ushering in a new era of tourism cooperation.

According to data from India’s Ministry of Tourism, a total of 17,567 Russian had visited India in 2021. As per a Statista report, Russian tourists were not among the top 10 countries in the foreign tourist arrivals recorded in India in 2022.