PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has signaled his interest in opening talks with the Russian government to establish a visa‑free travel arrangement for Filipinos visiting Russia.
Speaking to the media in Kazan, where he attended the ASEAN‑Russia Commemorative Summit, the President stated he sees no major obstacle to pursuing such an agreement, noting that the Philippines has already put similar measures in place with other countries. “We did it with India, we’ve done it with China. If it’s something that we feel will be of advantage to both Russia and the Philippines, I don’t see why not,” Marcos said.
He explained that easing travel restrictions has become a common approach in international relations today, and that it would greatly help boost tourism and trade between the two nations.
“That’s become the method, the order of the day now. And we very much would like to increase our tourist trade. So, that’s something that down the road maybe we can look at,” he added. Marcos emphasized that he has not encountered any strong arguments against the proposal and believes it could bring mutual benefits, though he clarified that the topic was not yet raised during his current visit due to its short duration.
On the sidelines of the summit, the President held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining regular political dialogue. They also discussed ways to expand cooperation in key sectors, particularly energy and food security.
Marcos expressed optimism that these discussions would pave the way for stronger ties and more collaborative projects, with the proposed visa‑free regime being one of the potential initiatives to be explored in future talks between the two governments.
