MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. Russia and India need to improve their payment infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted mutual settlements, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said at a meeting of the Russian-Indian Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation.

"For the sustainable development of trade and investment ties, it is necessary to improve our joint payment infrastructure and protect it from external interference, thereby ensuring uninterrupted mutual settlements," he said.

Manturov added that the two countries also intend to enable their citizens to make cashless payments. "At the same time, we aim to develop effective tools to enable citizens of our countries to make cashless payments," the first deputy prime minister noted. According to him, this will contribute to further growth in tourist exchanges.

According to Manturov, tourist flow between the two countries increased by 8% in the first half of the year. More than 25,000 Indian tourists visited Russia, while around 50,000 Russian citizens traveled to India.