Ambassador hails EU Commission request to lift Schengen visa requirements for Kuwaitis
The decision is ‘culmination of a lot of hard work from many people’
BRUSSELS: Kuwait’s ambassador to the European Union, NATO and Belgium, Jasem Al-Budaiwi Wednesday lauded the decision by the European Commission to lift Schengen visa requirements for Kuwaiti citizens as a “momentous day for Kuwait.” “Today we are added to a list of countries whose nationals will be exempted from visa to the Schengen area for short term stays. This is a culmination of a lot of hard work from many people, colleagues,” Budaiwi said on his twitter message. “The people of Kuwait have increasingly looked to Europe and all the EU member states for tourism, education, health, investment, business, and much, much more,” he noted. “This breakthrough will positively facilitate this trend and ensure that Kuwait remain important partners,” he stressed.
Kuwait and EU share a special bond that will only continue to grow deeper with this new decision, he said. The Kuwaiti ambassador expressed a “big thanks to the efforts of EU High Representative Josep Borrel and his team for guiding and supporting Kuwait through its endeavor to achieve visa free travel for its citizens.” He also thanked European Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas for his relentless support and assistance and advice and voiced his gratitude to EU Commissioner for interior affairs Ylva Johansson for constantly pushing and championing Kuwait’s efforts to obtain a Schengen visa waiver for its citizens. Budaiwi added on his twitter account that “he is looking forward to even closer cooperation with our EU partners.”
Kuwait’s mission to the European Union in Brussels welcomed the European Commission’s announcement of inclusion of Kuwait in the list of countries whose nationals will be exempted from the Schengen visa. In a statement, it noted that this is a start of a series of official final negotiations between Kuwait and the European Union aimed at exempting Kuwaiti citizens from the Schengen visa, stressing However, this declaration reflects the distinguished and strong relations between the two sides at all levels. The statement stressed that the decision’s entry into force requires time, affirming the need for citizens wishing to travel to the Schengen area to obtain the required visa until the completion of those procedures and the official announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Momentous day for Kuwait