UAE lifts travel ban to Lebanon

The UAE has announced that it is lifting the travel ban to Lebanon on its citizens starting from Tuesday.

Emirates News Agency (WAM) quoted Khalid Belhoul, undersecretary of the Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation saying that the decision came after the ministry followed up on “matters” related to the exits’ security and the guarantees provided by the Lebanese government in this regard, in addition to strengthening brotherly relations between the UAE and Lebanon.

The decision was issued in conjunction with an indefinite visit made by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to Abu Dhabi in order to participate in the events of the UAE-Lebanon Investment Conference.

In November 2017, the UAE and Bahrain warned their nationals against travelling to Lebanon after Hariri announced his resignation from the government, from Saudi Arabia, before retracting it later.

Read: Lebanon eyes ‘good news’ for economy after UAE meetings

In mid-February, Riyadh’s ambassador to Beirut, Walid Bukhari, announced the dismissal of the warning against travelling to Lebanon issued by the kingdom to its citizens.

Lebanon is counting on Gulf tourists to boost its economy.

The Lebanese economy is facing economic challenges, such as fluctuations at the level of the local exchange market and the abundance of the dollar, in addition to the rise of exchange rates in the informal market above 1650 pounds/dollar, compared to 1507 in the official market.