Russians travelling to Israel may no longer need a visa
Israel may soon cancel visa procedures for citizens of former Soviet nations, as the government has recently voted to change the law. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has been told to form an agreement with Russia and other former Soviet nations to ensure the policy change is mutual.
Minister for Tourism Yitzhak Aharonovitch, who championed the proposal, welcomed the vote and called it ‘an historic move on Israel's part.’
Aharonovitch said that visas can sometimes take up to four months to be issued and typically involve a cumbersome bureaucratic process. With these new procedures, Israel could expect some 300,000 extra tourists from Russia per year, a figure that would spur the creation of 10,000 new jobs and bring in millions of shekels to the economy.
The Minister for Tourism said that the majority of Russian tourists are currently heading to countries such as Turkey, Cyprus and Egypt, where no visas are required.
The abolition of visa procedures with Russia has long been discussed by Israel’s policymakers. Up until now, the Ministry of Interior has always been a real obstacle to a favourable solution – some of Israel’s leaders have feared that criminals would arrive in Israel at large once the restrictions were lifted.
Source: www.kommersant.com
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