TEHRAN – Iran and Russia have signed a tourism cooperation action plan covering the period from 2026 to 2028 during the sixth International Tourism Forum that runs from June 10 to 12 in Moscow.

The agreement was signed by Hojatollah Ayyoubi, senior adviser to Iran's minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts and head of the ministry's center for international affairs and diplomacy, and Dmitry Vakhrukov, Russia's deputy minister of economic development, following bilateral talks between the two sides, Tasnim news agency reported on Friday.

According to the officials, the three-year roadmap is aimed at addressing obstacles to tourism cooperation, implementing previous agreements and reviving the joint tourism committee between the two countries.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ayyoubi said discussions with Russia's deputy ministers of economic development and culture had created favorable conditions for expanding cooperation in tourism and cultural fields.

"Iran and Russia, through the signing of this cooperation roadmap, seek to remove obstacles to the implementation of previous agreements and open a new chapter in bilateral tourism cooperation," Ayyoubi said.

He added that both countries possess significant tourism resources and that Russian officials had demonstrated a strong willingness to expand tourism ties despite what he described as a historical delay in the development of travel exchanges between the two nations.

Vakhrukov, for his part, said the memorandum constituted the latest operational plan guiding tourism cooperation between Iran and Russia over the next three years and addressed key issues related to bilateral tourism exchanges.

He said the agreement focuses on measures to facilitate travel by Russian tourists to Iran and Iranian tourists to Russia, including improvements in payment systems, visa procedures and flight connectivity.

"With the signing of this memorandum, we now know exactly what steps need to be taken to develop tourism relations with Iran," Vakhrukov said. He added that Russia was prepared for tourism flows between the two countries to increase once regional conditions stabilize.

The agreement was signed at the conclusion of bilateral negotiations between the Iranian and Russian delegations.

During the meeting, both sides stressed the importance of facilitating financial transactions for travelers and called for the full implementation of existing monetary agreements between the two countries. They also emphasized enabling tourists to make payments using bank cards connected to Iran's Shetab network and Russia's Mir payment system.

The sixth International Tourism Forum opened on Wednesday at Moscow's VDNKh exhibition complex with a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin and the participation of representatives from Russian regions and delegates from 32 countries, including Iran.

AM