Bucharest opens the door to Turks

Published on 5 April 2012 at 12:48

Romania and Turkey are working out the implementation of a reform of visa attributions for Turkish tourists and business executives. The wait for a visa will be reduced to 10 days. This measure, on which the Turkish and Romanian presidents, Abdullah Gül and Traian Băsescu, reached agreement in March, should be operational by the end of the month, explains România liberă. The Romanian daily adds that —

in the near future, Turkish tourists (but also, in the same package of measures, those from the Arabian Gulf or China) will no longer have to wait for months in never-ending queues to obtain a visa for Romania.

Bucharest also hopes to create a five-year visa for Turkish business executives. Quoting the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, România liberă notes that Turkey is the only country having signed a customs agreement with the EU whose citizens are forced to get a visa to enter the Union. From this perspective, "Romania represents a solution for Turks wishing to obtain visas," but it is only a partial solution as long as Romania is not part of the Schengen Area. Baring a veto from the Netherlands, this could change in September.

Receive the best of European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday
Tags

Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!

It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.

Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support independent European journalism

European democracy needs independent media. Join our community!

On the same topic