Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon could cancel visas for Russians

The Israeli leadership indirectly recognized Russia?s key role in the Mideast conflict settlement by proposing the initiative to cancel the visa regime for Russians, First Deputy Chair of the Russian State Duma Committee for Foreign Affairs Leonid Slutsky told.

"It will be nice, if Jordan, Syria and Lebanon follow the example of Israel," Slutsky said. According to the MP, this step also contributed to recognizing Russia?s key role in the Mideast conflict settlement as well. "It is not utopian at all," the MP believes.

Slutsky noted that canceling the visa regime between Israel and Russia would contribute to significant increase of tourists willing to visit the sacred places.

According to Slutsky, in the near future easing visa regime is possible with European Union member-countries. The deputy reminded that since summer a visa-free regime was enacted for owners of diplomatic passports.

Answering a question of the REGNUM correspondent when the visa regime for Schengen countries will be eased for common citizens, Slutsky said that "it going forward not so fast and will be moving forward stage by stage." "EU member-countries have questions to Russia, in particular, regarding the relations with the Baltic states," the MP noted.

As REGNUM reported before, the Israeli interministerial commission approved a proposal on August 29 about canceling visa regime for Russian tourists and instructed the Israeli Foreign Ministry to start talks with the Russian side to prepare a relevant agreement.

sections: Society