Yemen asks Egypt to remove new travel restrictions‏‏

Yemen's government is attempting to persuade Egyptian officials to remove new travel restrictions that prevent Yemenis from traveling to Egypt.

Due to a lack of a medical certificate from an Egyptian hospital، nearly 60 Yemeni tourists who arrived in Cairo on Sunday were refused entry and had to depart for Yemen's Aden airport.

Having a medical report from a Yemeni medical institution approved by the Yemeni Health Ministry was a requirement for Yemenis flying with Yemenia from Yemen to the Cairo airport for years. At Cairo International Airport، a visa is given to each visitor.

But Egyptian authorities revised the requirement over the weekend، requiring Yemeni passengers to get an authentic medical report from an Egyptian hospital to enter the country.

Social media videos showed scores of men، women، and children with their bags stranded at Cairo airport، including sick people.

Yemenia officials said that the airline was notified of the new regulations by Egyptian authorities after Yemenia flight 601 left Aden airport for Cairo.

Another group of Yemenis، who failed to provide authentic copies of their medical reports from Egyptian hospitals، was reportedly stranded at Cairo International Airport on Monday.

Yemeni travel agencies said they were obliged to postpone some of their customs bookings to get a medical report that costs less than $20 if it is issued from a facility in Yemen but the similar report from Egypt costing $45.

The Egyptians said that their most recent entrance or residency restrictions extended to people from a variety of nations.

Ahmed Farouq، the Egyptian envoy to Yemen، stated، during a meeting with Rashad Al-Alimi، the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council، on Sunday in Riyadh، that the regulations did not only apply to Yemenis and extended to people of other countries.

In response to mounting public pressure to find a swift solution، a Yemeni government source told Arab News that Yemen's president would send a special envoy to Egypt to speak with Egyptian authorities about the new restrictions.

Hundreds of Yemenis journey to Egypt each month for medical care، education، or living expenses due to the country's lax travel regulations and the collapse of its healthcare system at home.

Yemeni officials and the public have urged Egypt to continue its support for Yemenis by scrapping the rules.

Yemen’s Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani commended the Egyptian government for its assistance to Yemen throughout the war and asked it to continue providing services to Yemeni expatriates and newcomers to Egypt.