Qatar Opens Up Its Borders Amid Middle East Dispute

The past few weeks have been trying for the small Middle Eastern country of Qatar. Several weeks ago Saudi Arabia, the UAE,  Bahrain and other of its neighbours announced a severing of diplomatic ties with Qatar, creating a rift in the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Qatar’s neighbours have placed an embargo on the country, restricting the importation of food and medication, and have accused Qatar of harboring terrorist groups.

Now, the country has announced that it will be opening up its borders on a visa-on-arrival basis to 31 countries, including Russia. The move is perhaps an attempt to foster positive diplomatic relations with other countries so that Qatar can become less reliant on its immediate neighbours.

Below is the list of 31 countries that now have visa-on-arrival access to Qatar:

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Guyana, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macao, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Paraguay, Peru, Russia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Suriname, Thailand, Uruguay, Venezuela.

With this move Qatar’s welcoming score increases to 75 from 44, and its rank increases to 61 from 78.

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