The French language magazine, Telquel.ma, is reporting that Moroccans no longer need a visa to travel to Qatar. The information was confirmed by the Qatari Minister of the Interior, during a meeting with the President of the first chamber of the Moroccan parliament, Habib El Malki, and the Minister of Industry Moulay Hafid Elalamy.
Qatar has exempted Moroccan citizens from visa. The information was confirmed to Habib El Malki, president of the first chamber and to the Minister of Industry Moulay Hafid Elalamy during a lightning visit organised this Tuesday in Qatar to represent King Mohammed VI at the inauguration of the "Port Hamad", a major port infrastructure opened by the emirate that faces a blockade imposed by its neighbours.
In an official interview, the Qatari Minister of the Interior informed his Moroccan visitors, "that the State of Qatar lifted the visa requirement for the benefit of the citizens of the Kingdom of Morocco". This measure comes one month after the announcement of the visa waiver for 80 countries.
The announcement of Qatar comes as part of a very symbolic visit. First chamber president Habib El Malki traveled to Qatar on Tuesday to represent King Mohammed VI at the inauguration ceremony of Hamad port, an infrastructure designed to "break the chains" of the boycott decreed by the neighbours of this small Gulf state. The Qatari Minister of Transport, Jassem bin Seif al-Salliti is quoted as saying "Nothing will stop us or our ambition.
According to a statement by the House of Representatives, this is a "short trip" during which El Malki was accompanied by Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Minister of Industry, Investment, Trade and Digital Economy. Habib El Malki was received by Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who "addressed his fraternal greetings" to King Mohammed VI, thanking him "for the efforts currently being made to promote the economy of Qatar in the service of brotherly Qatari people". The President of the First Chamber and the Minister of Industry were subsequently welcomed by the Qatari Minister of the Interior, who informed them of his country's decision on visa exemption.
The opening of the port on Tuesday will help Qatar achieve food security and economic diversification in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. Large container ships will now go directly to Qatar rather than docking in the United Arab Emirates, where cargo used to be transferred to smaller vessels.
Hamad Port will have an annual capacity of 7.5 million shipping containers, and separate terminals dedicated to general cargo, cereals, vehicles and livestock. The port is the largest of its kind in the Middle East with the capacity to receive all types of ships and vessels. It is expected to be fully operational by 2020, when it will cover around 20sq km.
The port inaugurated by Qatar is one of the "most important in the country and the Middle East," according to the statement of the House of Representatives. The port is located in the town of Mesaieed on the southeast coast of Qatar, one hour from Doha. According to AFP the emir sheikh "who rarely appeared in public since the beginning of the crisis" was present at the inauguration but "he did not speak".
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