Visa Facilitation Agreement Between Iran and Russia Begins

Starting from Saturday, February 6, Iran and Russia will begin a visa facilitation scheme between the two countries. According to the Russian news agency TASS, the agreement signed between the two governments in Tehran and Moscow on November 23 of last year makes bilateral visa conditions easier. In November, following Vladimir Putin's visit to Tehran, Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart signed various agreements, including easing visa issuance for citizens of both sides. The Russian Foreign Ministry states that the new facilitation includes 'businessmen, scholars and cultural workers, innovators, teachers and students, tourists, and others.' According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, this agreement 'strengthens Iran-Russia relations in all aspects.' TASS reports that during Ali Akbar Velayati's recent visit to Russia, the senior advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic on international affairs stated that Iran is considering conditions that would allow visa-free entry for Russian tourists. Mr. Velayati said efforts would be made to take actions in this regard as well. TASS mentions that in 2015, over 5 million tourists from Russia entered Iran. However, Masoud Soltani Far, head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, in an interview with Sputnik, another Russian news agency, stated that 'as a neighboring country, Iran should be able to attract between three to five percent of Russian tourists, which amounts to about one to two million people.' The Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran estimated the total number of foreign tourists in Iran for the year 1392 (2013-2014) to be about 5.5 million. Reports suggest that the number of tourists is expected to increase following the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers. Previously, due to extensive international sanctions and Iran's lack of access to the global banking system, tourists could only travel to Iran with cash. The World Tourism Organization states that in 2015, nearly 1.2 billion people visited various countries around the world. At the same time, the depreciation of the ruble against common currencies has reduced the number of Russian tourists.