The director of the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Moscow and Tehran will sign an agreement later this year to ease visa requirements for their nationals.

Yevgeny Ivanov further said that the two sides have agreed on the text of the visa agreement, adding that Russia has pursued consular consultations with the Iranian side and the agreement will be inked by yearend.

This comes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif decided in Moscow last month to accelerate efforts to ease visa issuance in the two countries.

By IFP