Morocco unilaterally cancels visa for Russians

Morocco decided, as of June 13, to unilaterally cancel the visa and the airport taxes for Russian citizens, announced the kingdom's ambassador to Russia, Abdelmalek Jeddaoui.

The diplomat underlined the positive impact of this decision on promoting tourism in Morocco, noting that this initiative evidences the "excellent relations" between the two countries.

Jeddaoui went on to say that north African country is the first economic and trade partner of the Russian Federation in Africa and the Mideast. He said transactions between the two countries in 2004 stood at USD 1.2 billion.

The Moroccan decision was warmly welcomed by Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which hailed the initiative as "extremely positive."

A Foreign Ministry press release says that "thanks to this initiative, Morocco will become a very privileged destination for Russians," adding it would "contribute to the enlargement and intensification of contacts between the two peoples."

As to tourism professionals, they confirmed that visa cancellation will ease the procedure of organizing tours in Morocco.