The possibility of providing Kuwaiti people visa-free travel to the Schengen Zone was addressed during formal talks between Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Both countries’ leaders also discussed fresh opportunities to further their joint relationships.
The Italian Foreign Minister restated Italy’s support for the abolition of Schengen visa requirements for Kuwaiti citizens, highlighting Rome’s continuous efforts in the European Union and European Parliament on the issue.
At the same time, Sheikh Salem Abdullah expressed his desire to strengthen the friendly ties between the two countries.
Kuwait’s Foreign Minister has increased efforts to ensure that people of the Asian country can travel to the Schengen Area without additional formalities such as visas.
During the Kuwait delegation’s official visit to Hungary’s capital, Sheikh Salem Al-Jaber Al-Sabah met with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto.
The meeting’s primary issues were exempting Kuwaiti citizens from visa requirements and garnering European support for such a move.
Last month, Kuwaiti authorities called on the European Union to eliminate visa requirements for their nationals in order to facilitate travel, particularly during the peak summer season.
The proposal was made during a meeting between Kuwait’s Foreign Minister and European Union ambassadors, during which he emphasized that the country should no longer be subject to Schengen visa rules.
“The minister, during the luncheon held at the Foreign Ministry headquarters, called upon the diplomats to act to ease off difficulties facing the Kuwaiti nationals seeking the Schengen visa, facilitate procedures to apply for the visa, set more dates and speed up paperwork,” the statement of the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted.
On April 27, last year, the Commission suggested eliminating visa requirements for Kuwaiti and Qatari nationals.
Among other things, the proposal stated that Kuwaiti nationals with biometric passports would not be required to apply for a visa when visiting EU countries for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period for tourism, business, or family purposes; however, Kuwaiti nationals are still subject to visa requirements.
At the moment, holders of Kuwaiti passports must apply for a visa in order to enter the EU’s borderless zone.Nonetheless, there are certain exceptions in this regard, including those for Kuwaiti nationals living in Schengen Zone nations and those from countries that have established visa-free regimes with the EU.