Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Nurlan Ermekbaev, told RIA Novosti that member states of the organization are considering the possibility of liberalizing the visa regime.

As part of the joint action plan for 2024-2025, special attention is being given to tourism development, with one of the points being the exploration of simplifying visa procedures.

Ermekbaev clarified that this does not mean a full visa-free regime for all SCO member countries, but rather its liberalization, as most visa-free agreements are made bilaterally.

He also noted that some SCO countries are already working on such agreements, and some have already implemented them.

An example of this is the agreement between Russia and India, which will come into effect on 1 April 2025, as well as Iran’s cancellation of visas for citizens of 28 countries, including several SCO member states, in 2024. Belarus became the tenth full member of the SCO in 2024.