Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, told the Federal National Council yesterday that the next 12 months will see “positive results” regarding the proposal to exempt UAE citizens from Schengen countries and visas.

“Our talks with the EU yielded that Schengen countries had agreed in principle to exempt Emiratis from entry visa. They submitted a motion to the commissioner concerned and we are waiting for a recommendation [to be] submitted to the European parliament for approval,” Shaikh Abdullah said.

He added within the next 12 months, “there will be positive results,” hinting the visa requirement could be waived by the Schengen countries and the UK, but stopping short of giving a definitive deadline. Japan may also be easing visa requirements, where diplomats will be granted visa-free entry and multiple-entry visas will be granted to citizens.

Shaikh Abdullah said 55 countries were granting Emiratis visa-free entry, which was fairly good but did not live up to his expectations.

A member of the FNC had demanded earlier that Emiratis be granted equal treatment by the 34 countries whose citizens are granted a visa on arrival.

Marwan Ahmad Bin Galitha, a member from Dubai, put a question to Shaikh Abdullah on the outcome of the effort to exempt UAE citizens from visa requirements by these countries.

Shaikh Abdullah said in 2001 that the cabinet had exempted citizens of 33 countries from entry visa to boost tourism. The move was a huge boost to tourism and the UAE was ranked last year as the largest tourist destination in the Arab world.

Emiratis facing delays in obtaining a Schengen and other visas are demanding that the UAE government stop granting visas-on-arrival to citizens of countries that fail to apply equal treatment to UAE citizens.

Equal treatment

Shaikh Abdullah said countries that were granted a visa-free status softened their stance when the UAE imposed a visa on their diplomats.

“That was an indication that the nation would impose a visa on citizens of countries which failed to grant the UAE equal treatment.”

Bin Galitha suggested that the presence of Emiratis in visa service-provider offices should be boosted, which Shaikh Abdulllah agreed was a good suggestion and it would be considered.

Tourists from the following countries are offered on-arrival visas to the UAE: Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Brunei, United Kingdom, France, Liechtenstein, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Paraguay, Ireland, Greece, Finland, Spain, Monaco, Vatican, Iceland, Andorra and others.