January 05, 2018•Update: January 06, 2018
By Gulsen Topcu and Enes Canli
TUNIS / ABU DHABI
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Tunisia announced late Thursday, they would end the crisis banning Tunisian women that started two weeks ago and continue flights.
In a UAE Foreign Ministry statement that was shared by WAM news agency, it was announced that "the competent authorities in the UAE have decided that the standard processes will be reinstated to their normal state before the unforeseen circumstances."
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has stated that within the framework of bilateral relations with the brotherly Republic of Tunisia, and out of concerns for the safety of air navigation and the keenness to mitigate any risks or threats, as well as in the light of the extensive security communication and the information received from the Tunisian side, the competent authorities in the UAE have decided that the standard processes will be reinstated to their normal state before the unforeseen circumstances," WAM news agency reported.
The Tunisian Transportation Ministry also issued a written statement, saying that the UAE company Emirates Airlines will resume its flights to Tunis.
The Ministry said the decision was taken after the aviation company lifted a visa ban to Tunisian women.
On Dec. 22, there were several allegations that Emirates Airlines banned Tunisian women from flights. However, Tunisian authorities later stated that UAE officials acted on intelligence that female terrorists from Iraq or Syria could trick officials by using Tunisian passports for plotting attacks.
