DOHA: The State of Qatar welcomes all the peoples of the world and does not discriminate against any community, the Government Communications Office (GCO) said in a statement.
The GCO said that various activities between peoples, whether in culture, sports, tourism, economy and others are means of bringing people together regardless of the differences between countries.
Earlier, speaking at an event to promote a summer tourism campaign in Doha, Akbar Al Baker, secretary-general of the Qatar National Tourism Council and also the CEO of Qatar Airways, had said that Qatar would not let Egyptians enter the country to take part in promotions aimed at boosting its tourism industry.
“The visa will not be open for our enemies – it will be open for our friends. Are visas open for us to go there? No. So why should we open it for them? Everything is reciprocal,” Aljazeera.com had quoted Al Baker as saying at the press conference.
His comments were interpreted by a section of the media as the first suggesting that Qatar would no longer grant visas to people from Egypt amid the two-year blockade.
Al Baker’s comments had triggered a debate in the social media with a majority of Qataris saying that they didn’t agree with Al Baker as they were contrary to the policies of Qatar.
“The Ministry of Interior (MoI) of the State of Qatar is the only authority authorised to issue the various types visas for entry into the country, according to the approval of the competent authorities and in accordance with the laws and regulations governing this, as well as the joint agreements with other countries,” the GCO said.
“Any remarks out of those legal frameworks do not represent the policy in force in the MoI,” the statement added, disowning the tourism official’s remarks.
Qatar also reiterated its position that people should not be involved in the differences that arise between countries, pointing out that the states will continue to derive their strength from the cohesion of their peoples and societies.
“When you open your arms to Qatar, Qatar will open its arms even bigger for you. But if you become an adversary of Qatar, then we will also treat you as an adversary,” Aljazeera.com had quoted Al Baker as saying.