Norway Removes Advice Against Travel to Egypt’s Region of South Sinai
According to a press release from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the travel advice for Egypt was also changed in 2019, with a higher risk of terrorism and lack of social disorder in several parts of the country, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against all travel to North Sinai and all travel within a distance of 50 km from the border with Libya,” the new travel advice for Egypt reads.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Norway has reasoned the decision, with the security situation in the Egyptian region gradually being improved. However, the rule out future terrorist incidents in the region, but the situation has been considered stable for some time now.
At the same time, the authority was focused on making the new travel council more precise so that there is no confusion about which geographical areas are covered by the travel council.
“We recommend that anyone planning a trip abroad download the Reiseklar app. It brings together travel information about 200 countries, travel advice and travel registration in one place,” the authority recommends.
As per South Sinai, the region is a small governorate of Egypt, and it has the least inhabitants in the country – around 104,000 of those. The region has different tourist areas such as Sharm El Sheikh, Nuweiba and Dahab.
At present, Norwegian authorities have a travel advisory for several countries, as follows:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Colombia, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, The Philippines, Georgia, Haiti, Belarus, India, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Cameroon, Kazakhstan, Kenya, China, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Moldova, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, South Sudan, Thailand, Chad, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and Venezuela.
The main reason for such travel advisories is related to security concerns. Previously, the Egyptian government advised its citizens to refrain from travelling to Sri Lanka, as the country is dealing with social and political issues linked to high food prices, frequent power outages and lack of fuel.
Iraq is also another country where Norwegians are required not to visit, except for the provinces of Dahuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdish areas.
Although no press release related to the situation in Gaza hasn’t been yet published, the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Anniken Huitfeldt, yesterday made a statement, expressing her concern for the escalation.
“I am very concerned about the escalation in and around Gaza. I encourage everyone involved to reduce tensions, show restraint and protect the civilian population,” the Foreign Minister says.
Last weekend, the media reported that a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza had occurred, which left about 44 people dead – 15 of which were children.
