RIYADH, 28 June – A meeting of the Group on Technical Dialogue between Saudi Arabia and the European Union discussed here on Monday the necessary procedures to facilitate the entry of Saudi citizens to the Schengen countries without obtaining a prior visa.
The two sides agreed to work to complete the technical aspects pertaining to it.
In the meeting, the Saudi side was chaired by Ambassador Tamim Al-Dosari, deputy minister of foreign affairs for consular affairs, while the EU side was headed by Dimitri Giotakos, head of legal affairs at the Directorate General of Home Affairs (Migration and Security Policy) at the European Commission.
The officials reviewed bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and the EU and the ways to further strengthen them. They also stressed their desire to deepen cooperation and consultation to serve the common interests between the Kingdom and the EU countries.
The meeting was attended by Ambassador Saad Al-Arifi, head of the Saudi Mission to EU, Patrick Simonet, EU ambassador to the Kingdom, and a number of officials from both sides.
On 26 June, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussed with European officials the procedures of facilitating the entry of Saudi citizens to the Schengen countries without the need to acquire a visa, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
The Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister, Waleed al-Khuraiji, met with the Head of Visa Policy at the General Authority for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, Dimitri Giotakos, and his team.
The two officials discussed the relations between Saudi Arabia and the European Union and the ways to enhance them.
The team held a meeting in Riyadh, chaired by the Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Ambassador Tamim al-Dosari and Giotakos, to discuss the necessary procedures to facilitate the entry of Saudi citizens to the Schengen countries without the need to obtain a prior visa.
The two sides affirmed the will to deepen cooperation and consultation to serve the common interests between Saudi Arabia and the European Union countries.
Source: Asharq Al-Awsat/Saudi Gazette
