Bahrain on Tuesday decided to stop issuing visas to Qatari nationals due to the hostile behavior of Qatari authorities against the Kingdom.
“Based on the statement of severing political ties with Qatar on June 5 last year and the implementation of related directives of the Cabinet for all concerned ministries and government organizations, the Ministry of Interior has announced the suspension of the issuance of entry visas for Qatari nationals,” it said in a statement carried Tuesday by the state news agency BNA.
However, the Ministry said the decision does not involve Qatari students studying in the kingdom.
As well as students, those with valid visas would be exempt from the new decision, according to the ministry.
“The decision was not taken because of Qatari nationals who share brotherly ties with Bahrainis, but as a result of irresponsible acts of Qatari authorities that do not take into consideration the rights of neighboring countries or the principles of the international law,” the ministry explained.
Nationals from the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, can travel to other member states using just an ID card.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt cut diplomatic, transport and trade ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of financing terrorism.
Last November, Bahrain announced that Qatari nationals would require a visa and said that several people traveling from other countries “which sponsored terrorism” were entering the kingdom using Qatari documents.
Manama had also accused Doha of running espionage operations and trying to destabilize the Kingdom.
Last week, Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Mohammed Saleh bin Taher Benten told Asharq Al-Awsat that Qatari pilgrims were arriving in Saudi Arabia via Kuwait to perform the pilgrimage in Makkah.
