Russia and Britain will resume in the near future consultations on the easing of visa regulations for some groups of citizens, which have been staled for several years, the head of the economic department of the Russian Embassy in London said.
Speaking during the World Travel Market (WTM) exhibition in London, Karen Malayan said the Russian Federal Tourism Agency and British national tourism organization Visit Britain had agreed to address the issue in the near future.
Strict visa regulations have been a major obstacle for the development of tourism between Russia and Britain.
Britain froze negotiations with Russia on the issue following the controversial death of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006. Litvinenko died of radioactive poisoning in a London hospital, and British investigators accused agent-turned-businessman Andrei Lugovoi of murder, and demanded his extradition, sparking a major diplomatic row.
Soured relations between Moscow and London were then hampered by Russia's bureaucratic pressure on the British Council and Britain's criticism of Moscow following the Russian-Georgian military conflict in August 2008.
LONDON, November 10 (RIA Novosti)