NOVOSIBIRSK, June 9. /TASS/. Thailand may launch a pilot project for the introduction of Russia’s Mir payment card at its popular resorts - in Phuket and Bangkok, Sasiwat Wongsinsawat, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Thailand to Russia, told TASS during his visit to Novosibirsk.

"As far as I know, negotiations are underway between one of the commercial banks in Thailand and the Russian side. This can start with the launch of a pilot project in some especially popular places for tourists in Thailand, for example, in Phuket, in Bangkok, maybe even in other cities," he said.

In 2019, Russia’s Economic Development Ministry announced that it would work on the use of Mir payment cards in Thailand. In November of 2019, Sergey Prikhodko, the first deputy head of the Russian government administration, announced that the National Payment Card System was in talks with the largest banks in Thailand on the acceptance of Mir cards in the country.

On March 10, Visa and MasterCard suspended their operations in Russia. All cards of these payment systems issued earlier by Russians banks continue to be in service on the Russian territory as before but it is not impossible to make payments with their use overseas.