Iran welcomes halt in expulsion of expatriates from UAE

An Iranian deputy foreign minister praised the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for stopping expulsion of Iranian expatriates from the Persian Gulf country, and underscored that the efforts made by the Iranian officials and diplomats paved the ground for such a positive decision by the UAE. “Persistent follow-ups by the Foreign Ministry and Iran’s Embassy in Abu Dhabi as well as our country’s ambassador and the head of Iran’s Consulate in Dubai played an effective role in such a positive and constructive decision,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Expatriates\' Affairs Hassan Qashqavi said Saturd Qashqavi also hailed the Abu Dhabi’s move to stop expulsions ahead of the eighth Iran-UAE Joint Consular Committee meeting which is scheduled to be held on October 22. Over the recent months, the UAE has revoked the residency permits of dozens of Iranians, some of whom had lived in the country for as long as 25 years, and forced them to leave the country without providing any reason.