Africa
Russians can now travel to Angola without a visa, according to Izvestia
According to Moscow’s envoy to the country in Africa, the policy came into effect last month as a result of a presidential decree.
According to Vladimir Tararov, Moscow’s ambassador to the African country, Angola’s government has instituted a visa-free policy for Russian people in an effort to increase travel and business opportunities.
“On September 29, a presidential decree was signed with a number of nations, including Russia, abolishing tourist visas. It went into effect the same day right after publishing, Tararov informed Izvestia.
The Angolan administration has presented a measure that was awaiting parliamentary approval that would do away with the need for visas for people of G20 nations, the Russian diplomat told the media last month.
Russian nationals who want to enter the country in southern Africa currently have to pay a consular fee of about $100.
Nevertheless, Tararov claims that with the removal of the visa requirement, Russians are now free to go to Angola for up to 90 days year and 30 days per entrance.
The initiative promotes tourism and draws potential investors while also streamlining relations, the envoy told Izvestia.
He asserted that the Angolan government made the decision to enact the visa-free policy for nations with “friendly and promising relations,” as well as those with the economic infrastructure and technological capabilities to support Luanda’s transformation of its economy.
Oleg Ozerov, the ambassador-at-large for the Russian Foreign Ministry, revealed last month that Moscow was negotiating a visa-free policy with a number of African nations. He said that the Russian government has reached arrangements with 32 African nations allowing bearers of diplomatic passports to travel without a visa.
Evgeny Ivanov, the deputy foreign minister for Russia, had earlier said that 11 nations, including Zambia, were up for visa-free travel arrangements.