Israel, Russia reach agreement eliminating visa requirement
Livni, Lavrov initialed memorandum of understanding on eliminating the visa requirement in September.
By Barak Ravid Tags: RussiaIsraelis and Russians will soon stop needing visas to visit each other's countries, under a new agreement reached by representatives of both foreign ministries in Moscow last week.
Government sources said the Russian government is expected to approve the new consular agreement soon after Christmas. Once the agreement is approved, the visa requirement should be eliminated within 90 days, they added.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, initialed a memorandum of understanding on eliminating the visa requirement in September, when they met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. However, further talks were needed to translate this memorandum into a detailed agreement.
In Israel, the main push for eliminating the visa requirement came from the Tourism Ministry, which estimates that abolishing visas would increase Russian tourism to Israel by about 100,000 people a year. The Public Security Ministry, in contrast, opposed the move, fearing that eliminating visas would make it too easy for Russian criminals to enter Israel.
In the end, the cabinet sided with the Tourism Ministry, but decided that the visa requirement should be waived only if Russia would in turn waive its visa requirement for Israelis. Russia accepted this proposal in September, setting the stage for last week's agreement.
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And no Israelis have interest in going from the holy land to the Soly banned land? Tourism to Russia will consist of the very scum that we are affraid of the russians. Cheap boose, affordable women without your own people looking? Sounds provocative? I assure you I only intend to question wether the Israeli have the same problems Russia does.. People is people is people.. Some of them good, some of them bad. Basing your prejudice on Hollywood movies. Now, that IS a problem ;)
Russia is different and very perspective race now. Don't be afraid of future! BTW if KGB(FSB)wants - they are able to penetrate with or without visas!
Eliminating visa requirement between Israel and Russia has to be done only when regims of Putin will be eliminated. Russia choose anti-USA and Western direction and Israel cannot grant free entering of people from Russia. It is a wrong agreement now!
So stupid and ignorant; again and again kossaks, mafia, samovar LOL))) those Yakov&Co guys are simply stupid or making provocations out of nothing. But they will gladly take money from Russian tourists, you will see.
There will be real Cossacks on horses with sabres. Also Ukranian Guards.Very "heimisch".All in a Movie Studio type tour.
Welcome to Russian mafia, welcome to KGB.
I can imagine the amount of Israelis that will also travel to Russia. So much to see, even ones roots.I for one would travel, only wonder how I will feel after seeing the village that was half massacared by the Cossack varmints. Our family walked for many weeks some died of cold and starvation. I believe we must look to the future and not live in the past. Trans Siberia..here I come.!
Exactly, we?ve already heard this bull about ?russian mafia coming? in the early 90thies. Local mafia just love this mythos to get the police attention directed to somethere else and of course, many of our holy god-fearing and entirely racist politicians made a political fortune out of those scary stories.
Don't worry. Most of them already have got an Israeli passport and moved on to the US or England.
They are called racists and it's true as it's absolutely true for you based on your comments. Russians are welcome as soon as they good people and defently will contribute to Israel diversity.
we decide to open the gates for the most corrosive white influence this country has had, knowing full well many are absolutely not coming as actual "tourists", and right on the heels of this country being called "racist". If you're depressed about Sabar yeridah now, you haven't seen anything yet.