Russia, EU start work on visa free travel agreement

Russia and the European Union agreed to establish an ad hoc team for the gradual transition to visa-free public travel, Igor Ivanov, Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, said to the media upon arrival to Thessaloniki airport. Mr. Ivanov came to Greece from Luxembourg, where he had taken part in a Russia-EU Cooperation Council session. As the minister sees it, the matter demands a road map to blueprint step-by-step efforts eventually to give up visas. President Vladimir Putin's idea of visa-free travel has found political support in EU countries. Now is the time to start the practical side, said Igor Ivanov.