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Russian President Vladimir Putin during his discussions with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, advocated in favor of a visa-free travel agreement between India and Russia. The Russian president highlighted that the rich history and ancient culture of India is traditionally of great interest to the Russian people during a bilateral meeting between Modi and Putin that took place on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in this Silk Road in Uzbekistan.
According to TASS, the official news agency of Russia, Putin said, "We propose accelerating the process of negotiations towards an agreement on visa-free tourist travel".
After Russian troops launched a "special military operation" against the neighboring nation in February, Modi thanked Putin for helping to evacuate hundreds of Indian students from Ukraine during the meetings, noting that Moscow and New Delhi have been working together for many years.
Alina Arutyunova, the deputy chairman of the Moscow tourism committee, had earlier on Tuesday stated in Mumbai that Russia may establish a visa-free policy for Indian tourist groups.
"The Russian Federation's President has supported a proposal to institute a visa-free policy for tour groups. For Iran, such a request was already made on Tuesday. It's possible that India will soon receive the same duty, she said.
Turkey, Germany, and India are the top three non-CIS countries that send the most tourists to Russia, according to Arutyunova.
According to information provided by the Moscow City Tourism Committee, more than 13,000 Indians visited Moscow in the first half of 2022 despite the ongoing war in the region. By the end of 2023, foot traffic is predicted to reach pre-Covid levels.
