The Russian Minister of Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov, announced that Russia has proposed the complete abolition of tourist visas for Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia.

Reshetnikov said in a speech delivered at a session of the Eastern Economic Forum titled "Domestic Tourism: Challenges and Opportunities in the New Reality": "We are developing the topic of transitioning to the abandonment of visas from the countries we are working with, which are countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. We have proposed the complete abolition of visas for Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia. It is also possible to increase the number of premium tourists. That's why we care about this."

As of August 1st, Russia and China are ready to accept groups of tourists mutually under an international government agreement regarding visa-free group tourism exchanges.

Additionally, as of August 1st, the launch of a visa-free group tour exchange between Russia and Iran has also been considered.

For his part, the Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia, Dmitry Vakrukov, stated that the launch of a visa-free group tourism exchange between Russia and India may take place in 2024.