NOURNEWS- Mutual respect, friendship, and consideration of each other's interests have always been at the core of relations between Russia and Thailand, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.
“Our relations have always been based on mutual respect, friendship, and consideration of each other's interests. And so far, relations between our countries have been developing in many ways, both in the humanitarian and economic spheres, and in the political field,” Putin said at a meeting with Prime Minister of Thailand Srettha Thavisin in Beijing.
Earlier in the day, the Thai cabinet said that Russian tourists will now be able to stay for up to 90 days in Thailand without a visa from November 1 until April 30, 2024.
Russia was included in the list of the countries whose citizens “are released from the need to get a visa or a permission to stay in the Kingdom for up to 90 days” if they arrive for tourism, the cabinet protocol said. The measure was taken “in the best interests of economic and foreign policy interaction with the Russian Federation, especially in the sphere of people-to-people ties, which are the basis of international relations,” the document added.
The government instructed several departments, including the interior ministry and immigration, to amend the relevant decrees, laws, and regulations. The national security service is also tasked with monitoring the impact of the measure on Thailand's national security and national interests.
Under an intergovernmental agreement, Russian and Thai tourists enjoyed visa-free entry to each other's countries for 30 days. In August, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that the government was planning to increase the period of visa-free stay for Russian tourists in the country from 30 to 90 days.
NOURNEWS