Russia-Belarus Agreement On Mutual Visa Recognition To Take Effect By 2021 - Diplomat

The agreement between Belarus and Russia on the mutual recognition of visas will come into force at the end of 2020 or in early 2021, Belarusian Ambassador to Russia Vladimir Semashko said on Wednesday during an online briefing

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2020) The agreement between Belarus and Russia on the mutual recognition of visas will come into force at the end of 2020 or in early 2021, Belarusian Ambassador to Russia Vladimir Semashko said on Wednesday during an online briefing.

The agreement was signed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Belarusian counterpart, Vladimir Makei, on June 19.

"This intergovernmental agreement cannot take effect overnight; it should be ratified first and then the exchange of notes should take place. Ratification usually takes three months, the exchange of notes takes one month. We believe that the agreement might kick in at the end of this year or the beginning of the next year in January," the diplomat said, as quoted by the Belarusian state-run Belta news agency.

After the agreement enters into force, foreigners do not have to get two separate visas if they want to travel in Russia and Belarus.