Malta, Qatar agree to remove visa requirements for diplomats

Malta and Qatar have signed an agreement to remove visa requirements for diplomats, which, the government hopes will be a first step to the general loosening of visa requirements for travel to the Gulf State. Such arrangements are allowed under the Schengen agreement.

Today's agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Tonio Borg and his counterpart in Doha, Qatar, where a Maltese delegation is wrapping up a trade mission to the region.

A similar visa agreement was signed with Kuwait during the same trade mission and the government is hoping that this would be the needed push to have the gulf states relax visa requirements for Maltese.

There were no visa requirements between the two countries in the past but when Malta joined the EU, it had to introduce visas for Gulf states, which in turn also started imposing visas on Maltese visitors.

Ever since, the government has been trying to get the fast-tracked treatment which the UAE affords to the old EU member states, without much success.

It is hoped that the deal would inch Malta's position closer.

Dr Borg also signed a cooperation agreement on health which follows on similar lines as that signed with Kuwait yesterday.

Earlier, during talks with the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi also discussed the possibility of having Qatar Airways fly to Malta or using the country as a hub to the region.

Many businessmen pointed out that the lack of direct flights could be a hurdle in doing business with the Gulf in general - there is only one daily flight from Dubai.

The visit to Doha, Qatar, was the last stop of the four-day trade mission which saw some 50 businessmen hold over 200 meetings, that were coupled with political talks with the governments of the Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Kuwait.