According to a Russian minister, talks on a bilateral agreement to facilitate travel between Russia and India will start in June. The minister also stated that Moscow and New Delhi planned to boost their tourism links by initiating 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 the fringes of the “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum 2024” international economic forum in Kazan, the minister announced that a draft agreement would be discussed for the first time in June and that a signature would likely occur 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,” the minister said.

According to Kondratyev, Russia intends to duplicate the achievements of its existing visa-free travel agreements with China and Iran.

On August 1st, 2016, Russia and China began their group tourism exchange program without the need for a visa.

On the same day, Russia and Iran also launched a visa-free group travel exchange, marking the start of a new chapter in their tourism-related collaboration.