Serbia scraps visa-free travel for Iranians

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic cites 'abuse' as reason

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Serbia on Wednesday lifted visa-free entry for Iranian citizens, citing "abuse".

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic told parliament that the decision of the Serbian government to abolish the visa exemption waspublished today in the official newspaper.

"Some of [Iran's] citizens have abused visa exemption," said Stefanovic.

The visa exemption agreement between Iran and Serbia was signed in 2017.

Authorities have stated that a large number of Iranian citizens coming to Serbia as "tourists" and then attempted to travel to Western European countries or to seek asylum.

So far this year, around 1,100 Iranians have officially sought asylum in Serbia.

Currently there are around 4,000 registered migrants in Serbia.

Kaynak: