Asia

Asia

Opposition, business groups urge greater effort by Ottawa to solve UAE row

30 December 2010 20:49 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Political opposition and business groups in Canada are asking the federal government to exercise more diplomatic effort to resolve Ottawaâ€™s problem with the United Arab Emirates. The two groups warned unless the diplomatic row is resolved soon, trade between the two countries may be affected, APA reports quoting allheadlinenews.com website.
The bilateral trade between Canada and UAE is placed at $1.5 billion yearly. Among those expected to be affected by the worsening ties between Ottawa and Dubai are professionals, business executives and large firms such as manufacturer Bombardier, which bids rail and aircraft contracts in the Middle Eastern region.
Dubai is the drop-off point for many Canadian lawyers, architects, oil traders and other industry executives who have business in the region and the nearby continents of Africa and Asia. However, the decision by UAE to hike visa fees for Canadian tourists of up to $1,000 for a six-month visa beginning Jan. 2, 2011, could cause a drop in visits to the emirates.
The visa fee hike, slapped only on Canadians, is seen by observers as a result of the continuing diplomatic standoff over rejection by Ottawa of a request by Dubai to increase landing rights in Canada for two UAE-owned air carriers. In response, Dubai initially booted out Canadian troops from Camp Mirage, a deployment point for Ottawaâ€™s Afghanistan military mission.
Also expected to be affected by the higher visa fees are Asian migrants in Canada who usually stop in Dubai on their way to visit their mother countries.
Dubai travel executives are divided on the impact of the higher fees on passenger traffic between the two nations. Some said it would only affect last-minute travelers, while others pushed for an update on the bilateral system that was used by Ottawa to turn down the request by Dubai for added flights for Emirates and Etihad Airways.