Friday, May 25, 2012 -
Parliamentary deputies in Tajikistan voted to waive visa requirements for visitors from some of the world’s wealthiest nations, a senior Tajik deputy said on Friday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmudjon Sobirov told a news conference in the capital Dushanbe that the lower chamber of parliament approved legislation allowing visa-free visits to citizens from the United States, the European Union, and a handful of nations in Southeast Asia.
The draft law would permit their stay for up to one month, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported the official as saying.
Sobirov said the purpose for relaxing the entry requirement is to develop the country’s tourism industry, encourage trade with those countries, and attract higher levels of foreign investment.
The bill will become law if it meets the approval of the Senate and is signed-off by President Emomali Rahmon.
Separately, the Kazakh foreign ministry also announced this week it may offer visa-free entry to Kazakhstan to citizens of 47 countries.
The visa suspension would only apply for a two-week period over the summer holiday season and has the expressed intention of promoting tourism development in Kazakhstan.