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Citizens of 18 countries can visit Russia’s Far East without visas

The list comprises Algeria, Bahrain, Brunei, India, Iran, Qatar, China, North Korea, Kuwait, Morocco, Mexico, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tunisia, Turkey and Japan
Koryaksky volcano over the town of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the Kamchatka region of Far-Eastern Russia Yuri Smityuk/TASS
Koryaksky volcano over the town of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the Kamchatka region of Far-Eastern Russia
© Yuri Smityuk/TASS

GORKI, April 17. /TASS/. Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday tourists and businessmen from 18 nations can visit the Russian Far East without visas.

"I have recently approved the list of countries, whose nationals can take advantage of the preferential regime. Businessmen and tourists will not need to undergo the traditional procedure of Russian visas receipt," the Prime Minister said. It will be enough for foreigners "to enter their data on a special website in the Internet," Medvedev said.

"We are proactively forming the modern infrastructure and creating special regimes in the Far East; the law on visits to the Vladivostok free port was approved in March," Medvedev said. Cancellation of visa procedures for tourists and businessmen "will promote growth of investment and tourist attractiveness of the Far East," the prime minister said. The region will earn more money from tourist traffic growth, he added.

Eighteen countries from various regions selected by the reciprocity principle were included into the list, Medvedev said. "This is not because these states are situated at a closer or longer distance - we are appropriately introducing bilateral agreements on visa-free travel for those ready to use such an approach for us," he added.

According to the official site of the Cabinet, the list of 18 countries comprises Algeria, Bahrain, Brunei, India, Iran, Qatar, China, North Korea, Kuwait, Morocco, Mexico, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tunisia, Turkey and Japan.