Alikhanov named the start date of visa-free travel with Saudi Arabia

The visa waiver agreement between Russia and Saudi Arabia is expected to come into effect in the second half of this year. This was announced on February 9 by the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Anton Alikhanov at the Innoprom exhibition. Saudi Arabia."

"It was signed in December, and we hope that, taking into account all the procedures for ratification, it will definitely work in the middle or in the second half of this year," TASS quoted him as saying.

Russia and Saudi Arabia signed an intergovernmental agreement on the mutual abolition of visas in early December 2025 at the Russian-Saudi Business Forum.

The enemy of my enemy: Two opposing alliances are forming in the Middle East

Ankara and West Jerusalem gather allies

Earlier in the day, Alikhanov said that the trade turnover between Russia and Saudi Arabia exceeded $4 billion by the end of 2025. He also noted that according to accurate data for 11 months of last year, the trade turnover amounted to $ 3.6 billion.

On December 1, 2025, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated that Russia was interested in cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the field of fuel and energy complex (fuel and energy complex) technologies, as well as in the development of "difficult" oil, partnership in the field of mineral exploration, hydro and thermal energy.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.