Russia’s Federal Tourism Agency has proposed mutual visa-free group tourist exchanges with Iran in the latest sign that the Kremlin is looking to facilitate travel between the two countries. Oleg Safonov, the head of the agency, said in an interview with the Russia-based news agency TASS that his country wants to use the same mechanism it has used for group tours between Russia and China. “This is a really good mechanism that has proved its effectiveness,” he said. “We offer using the same mechanism in our cooperation with Iran. This mechanism would also be attractive in cooperation with Vietnam and India.” The proposal, first made in May, has been welcomed by Iranian officials, but it is unclear when the two sides will actually abolish the visa regime.
