On October 31, Alexei Klimov, head of the consular department at Russia’s Foreign Ministry, announced that Moscow and New Delhi have decided to halt preparations for an agreement on visa-free travel for organized tourist groups.
Klimov explained that developing such a document had been a non-trivial task due to Indian partners’ lack of prior experience in concluding international agreements specifically for group visa-free travel. Following consultations, the two countries determined they would not proceed with the initiative. He emphasized that India’s historical absence in this domain constituted a key reason for the decision.
Separately, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko stated on October 22 that Moscow is negotiating with Bahrain and Kuwait to introduce a visa-free regime for holders of general-purpose passports. Borisenko noted that such arrangements are already operational with Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
