Moscow: Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev has announced that tourists and businessmen from India and 17 other countries can visit the country’s far east without visas to boost tourism and investment in the region.

Medvedev said yesterday that businessmen and tourists will not need to undergo the traditional procedure of Russian visas receipt. According to the official site of the Russian 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, Tass news agency reported.

“I have recently approved the list of countries, whose nationals can take advantage of the preferential regime," Medvedev said. “We are pro actively 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," he said.

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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 said.

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