Iran ready to declare visa-free regime with Russia

Iran is ready to conclude an agreement with Russia on mutual visa waivers, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said in an interview with the Izvestia daily.

The diplomat noted that Iran and Russia were starting their journey toward implementing an agreement on visa-free travel for tourist groups.

"As for waiving visas for the two countries’ citizens, I would like to point out that the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully ready to take this step and waive visas so that our people can visit each other’s country. Clearly, we expect officials to make the relevant decisions and after that, these measures will be approved and put into action," Jalali said.

The ambassador added that Iran "is glad to invite Russians" to visit the southern coast of the Persian Gulf in winter, when the weather is very warm.

Kazem Jalali said that Russians may also take an interest in the central part of Iran, which is largely a desert. The envoy noted that Russian nationals are used to seeing forests, greenery, lakes and rivers, while Iran’s heartland consists of deserts, so they could spend some time there to enjoy this type of nature.

"In addition, we have a lot of national parks with rare species of flora and fauna," he added.

Under the agreement, concluded on July 1, 2021, citizens of both countries can visit the other country for tourism purposes without obtaining visas, provided they are part of a group of up to 50 people and travel for a period not exceeding 15 days. Russia and Iran launched visa-free travel for tourist groups on August 1.