May 13, 2013 - 15:58 AMT
Russia seeks visa-free regime with Latin American states

Russia hopes to agree on a visa-free regime with all Latin American countries in the next few years, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday, May 13, according to RIA Novosti.

“We and our partners should complete the work to make the entire region a no-visa zone for our citizens in the next few years,” he told the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.

Russia has already signed visa-free entry agreements with a number of South American nations, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guiana, Peru and Venezuela.

Russia has also eased some visa requirements with Surinam and Bolivia, where Russian nationals get entry visas upon arrival at the border.

Ryabkov also said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet the foreign ministers of Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba and Haiti on May 29 in Moscow.