Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al-Sahati, Bahrain's ambassador to Russia, confirmed that his country plans to activate the Russian "Mir" payment system in the near future. The ambassador made his statement during a meeting held yesterday, Friday, with Radi Khabirov, the head of the Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia, on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
According to the ambassador, as reported by the TASS news agency: "We will soon introduce the Russian Mir payment system in banking services, which will allow tourists from your country to enjoy a comfortable and safe holiday with us."
On another note, Zarina Doguzova, head of the Russian tourism union "Rostourism," stated that her organization is currently exploring the possibility of using Russian "Mir" cards in seven countries around the world and intends to initiate similar discussions with five other countries. She clarified that all these nations are "popular tourist destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, and the Middle East."
The "Mir" card is a Russian bank card that operates through a national payment system, launched in 2015 after several Russian banks faced issues with Visa and MasterCard due to Western sanctions imposed against Moscow.
Currently, "Mir" cards are accepted in ten countries: Turkey, Vietnam, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia. Russia has accelerated its efforts to promote the "Mir" system globally after Visa and MasterCard announced the suspension of their services in Russia following the military operation in Ukraine.
