Iran, Russia agree on draft MOU to facilitate visa issuance

By Azernews

By Gunay Hasanova

Tehran and Moscow have agreed on a draft memorandum of understanding which envisages facilitation of visa issuance for group tours.

The draft document was prepared by Ali Chegini, Director General for consular affairs of Iran’s Foreign Ministry and his Russian counterpart Yevgeny Ivanov in Tehran on the sidelines of the fifth session of the Iranian-Russian commission for consular collaboration, ISNA news agency reported on November 23.

The two sides also called for further talks for boosting consular relations.

Earlier this year, the two countries put into legal effect an intergovernmental agreement on simpler rules for trips to Russia and Iran by certain categories of Russian and Iranian citizens, including businessmen, culture figures, researchers, teachers, students, and tourists.

Ivanov in an interview with Tasnim news agency voiced hope that the draft will be finalized for signing within four months.

He further said Russia had issued 80,000 visas for Iranian citizens during the first 10 months of 2016, which indicates a 100-percent increase year-on-year.

Both Iran and Russia enjoy big tourism potential and the two countries can take advantage of that, Ivanov said, adding it is planned that group tours from Iran, including 5-50 people, will be permitted to stay in Russia without a visa for 15 days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani signed a deal that eased bilateral visa rules during Putin’s visit to Tehran in 2015.

This document aims to ease the two countries' citizens' travel and eases the conditions for exchange of trade and technological delegations between the two countries.

The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $1.5 billion in July, while the figure is expected to double by March 2017.