Abu Dhabi– The UAE citizens with regular passports will be able to travel to Russia without prior visas from now onward.

Russia has exempted UAE citizens with regular passports from requiring pre-entry visas from today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation announced Sunday.

The decision was issued as part of an agreement that was signed in Kazan, Russia, with the attendance of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Denis Manturov, on 6th July, 2018, which stipulates the mutual exemption from visa requirements of UAE and Russian citizens with regular passports.

The agreement was signed by Maadhad Hareb Al Khaili, UAE Ambassador to Russia, and Alexander Efimov, Ambassador of Russia to the UAE.

Ahmed Sari Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said that Russia’s decision to exempt UAE citizens from pre-entry visas is the outcome of a series of factors that encouraged its government to take this initiative, which reflects the UAE’s international stature and reputation.

He added that the initiative highlights the growing bilateral relations between the UAE and Russia, will open new opportunities for UAE citizens in the areas of tourism, investment, trade and cultural exchange, and will have a positive outcome. It also reflects the UAE’s international stature and the respect and trust it has attained, especially from Russia, which has expressed its desire to consolidate its relations and promote its overall interests, through opening its entry points to UAE citizens, he further added.

The initiative is a major success for Emirati diplomacy, under the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah, and the decision is the realisation of the strong historic ties between the two countries, which were built on the foundations of joint cooperation in politics, the economy and trade.

SOURCE: WAM