An Iranian deputy Foreign Minister says the expulsion of Iranian nationals from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has ceased following the measures taken by Tehran.
Iran Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Iranian Expatriate Affairs Hassan Qashqavi said Saturday that the UAE has stopped expelling Iranian nationals as of September 24.
Persistent follow-ups by the Foreign Ministry and Irans Embassy in Abu Dhabi as well as our countrys ambassador and the head of Irans Consulate in Dubai played an effective role in such a positive and constructive decision, Qashqavi added.
The Iranian officials hailed the Abu Dhabis move to stop expulsions ahead of the eighth Iran-UAE Joint Consular Committee meeting which is scheduled to be held on October 22.
According to a report published by ISNA on July 6, over the recent months the UAE has revoked the residency permits of dozens of Iranians, some of whom had lived in the country for as long as 25 years, and forced them to leave the Arab country without providing any reason.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman at the time, Abbas Araqchi, said a day after the report was published that the Ministry and the Iranian Embassy in Abu Dhabi were seriously following up on the case.
He said a number of foreign nationals had been expelled from the UAE following a decision by the Emirati Interior Ministry to apply some changes to the Persian Gulf states population of foreign nationals.
In a meeting with UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid in April, Irans Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar had criticized the UAEs expulsion of Iranians from Dubai.
He said that the move would not have a good impact on bilateral relations between the two countries.