While Maldives and Russia signed a visa waiver agreement back in June, for trips under 90 days, it came into effect on Thursday.

Under this agreement, Maldivian citizens can travel and stay in the Russia for 90 days on tourist trips without a visa. The same will apply for Russians traveling to Maldives.

The agreement was signed in Moscow on June 25, by Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and his counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Work is also being done to open a Maldivian embassy in Russia, which was announced by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during his inaugural address at the People’s Majlis in February.

According to Russian News Agency, Maldives is very popular among Russians; over 38,000 Russian citizens visited the Maldives last year.

Maldives and Thailand entered a 30-day visa waiver agreement earlier in April.