EU works to exempt Saudi citizens from visas, ambassador says
Patrick Simonet, the EU ambassador to Saudi Arabia, revealed a new system for granting visas to Saudi citizens, which will be announced soon, to facilitate obtaining multiple visas.
Simone confirmed that the EU is working in parallel with a system to exempt all citizens of the Gulf countries from visas, expressing his optimism that the Saudis will be able to visit Europe soon without a visa according to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
The European statements come about three weeks after the UK announced that it would facilitate the procedures for Saudis to obtain a visa electronically, 24 hours before travel.
Patrick Simonet said that the EU “aims to exempt citizens of all GCC countries from visa requirements.”
“The visa exemption would help raise the level of exchange between the EU and Saudi Arabia at all levels, whether it is in the field of communication between peoples, tourism, education or business”. He added.
The European official noted and expressed his happiness with Saudi Arabia’s decision to allow European tourists to enter the Kingdom for the first time through simplified procedures, saying: “We appreciate the openness efforts made by the Kingdom.”
The ambassador of the EU not only revealed the new system for granting visas to Saudis but went further by saying, “We are working in parallel on the visa exemption system for all citizens of the GCC, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,”.
This process requires the cooperation of both parties at both levels, technical and political. As a result, shortly, the Saudis will be able to visit Europe without a visa.
