MOSCOW, June 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and the European Union may agree on the simplification of visa regulations by the end of 2005, chairman of the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament) international affairs committee Konstantin Kosachev said in Moscow on Friday.
According to him, a special working group is currently considering this issue.
"There are reasons to assume that Russia and the EU will agree on easing visa regulations by the end of this year," Kosachev said.
"Simplified regulations may be introduced in 2006," he added.
Visa cancellation is "a question of the future which depends on conclusion of readmission agreements between Russia and other countries," the parliamentarian said.
Such agreements imply mutual obligation of member-countries to readmit their or third-country nationals and people without citizenship residing without authorization in a member-country if they came from the other member-country.
