Travel to and from Israel to Russia visa-free as of Saturday

By HERB KEINON
A generation after Russian Jews could end up in jail for even applying for a visa to Israel, all visa requirements for Israeli and Russian nationals traveling between their countries will be canceled as of Saturday. Pinhas Avivi, the Foreign Ministry's deputy director-general for Russia and Eurasia, said at a press conference beamed to Moscow that the decision to do away with visa requirements was a "historic" development that will not only strengthen the tourist and economic ties between the two countries, but also help in developing Russian-Israeli ties on all levels, including in the diplomatic realm. That the agreement goes into effect today, Israeli diplomatic officials said, shows the tension stemming from the war in Georgia has not impacted the Israeli-Russian relationship. The actual agreement to cancel the visa requirements was signed in March during a visit here by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Up until now, the visa requirement made visiting both countries a process that was expensive and often lengthy.