Qataris to receive visa-free access to UK, invest $12.5 billion
Qatar and the United Kingdom have announced they will cooperate on energy projects while Qatar’s energy minister criticized Europe for “demonizing” oil and gas companies.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited London yesterday, meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Several agreements came out of the meeting, including the Qatar-UK Strategic Investment Partnership. Qatar is looking to invest 10 billion British pounds ($12.5 billion) in the United Kingdom over the next five years, the British government said in a statement.
The UK also added Qatar to its list of visa-exempt countries under the Electronic Travel Authorization regimen. The authorization will begin in 2023 and allow citizens of several countries to visit the UK without a visa. So far, Israel is the only country in the Middle East whose citizens have visa-free access to the kingdom.
Thani and Johnson also discussed energy security, renewable energy and decarbonization, according to the statement.
