Baku negotiating visa-free deals with friendly nations to boost tourism

Azerbaijan is negotiating with dozens of states on the abolition of the visa regime, paying special attention to national security and migration risks, Emil Safarov, Head of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said at public hearings in the Milli Majlis.

Report quotes him as saying negotiations are conducted exclusively with friendly countries, taking into account both the internal and foreign policy interests of the country.

"It is necessary to consider national interests in terms of security and migration. As is known, Azerbaijan applies several types of simplified visa regimes-visa-free entry, the simplified visa system including ASAN Visa, as well as special visa procedures applied during international events. For example, during COP29, more than 36,000 participants of this event received simplified visas," the MFA representative noted.

He also reminded that, based on proposals from the State Tourism Agency, a project for unilateral visa-free entry was implemented. Since February 15, temporary visa-free entry has been introduced for four countries, mainly from the Arab region.

According to Safarov, work in this direction continues, and the list of countries may soon be expanded.

"We plan to apply this regime to friendly countries and Azerbaijan"s strategic partners to ensure a mass influx of tourists without migration risks," he emphasized.