Two Canadian businessmen who were stranded at an airport in Abu Dhabi for more than 15 hours on Friday, when their attempts to enter the U.A.E. hit a wall of red tape are back home in Toronto.
Darius Mosun and his business partner were stopped from entering the U.A.E. amid confusion over newly imposed visa requirements for Canadians.
He and his colleague say they were able to enter the U.A.E. last week with a visa acquired in Canada, but were stopped when trying to re-enter the country following a side trip to Saudi Arabia.
He said officials told him his visa was only valid for a single entry. But the rule wasn't written on the document itself.
According to new visa requirements, Canadians must pay between $250 and $1,000 for a visa.
Until recently, Canada had been one of more than 30 countries whose citizens could travel to the U.A.E. on a free, one-month visa.
The new visa requirements, which came into effect at the start of January, were introduced as the relationship between Ottawa and the U.A.E. deteriorated over the issue of landing rights for U.A.E.-based airlines in Canada.
The oil-rich country's two national, government-owned air carriers have been seeking permission to increase the number of flights to and from Canadian airports.
Ottawa has refused, saying the move would have do significant damage to Air Canada.
Frustration regarding the course of those negotiations has apparently led the U.A.E. government to take a number of retaliatory steps.
Dubai expelled hundreds of Canadian troops from a semi-secret military base on its soil earlier this fall. The Canadian military had enjoyed rent-free access to Camp Mirage for the past nine years. The base served as a key transit point for troops shuttling to and from Afghanistan.
The Gulf News reported last week that the relationship was at an all-time low, following comments by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that questioned the reliability of the Arab country as an ally.
The article quoted an anonymous government official saying the U.A.E. deserved an apology for the attack.
"These broad sweeping Clint Eastwood-type one-liners that sound cool in the press really have dire consequences for the little guy like us. I just think we could have handled it differently," Mosun told The Canadian Press.
Mosun said he missed an important meeting because he was denied entry, and wondered what further impact the diplomatic spat would have on his business -- an architectural fabrication and design company.
"If an exporter is trying to make a proposal to a U.A.E. client it would be very difficult to say we wouldn't be viewed lesser than our competitive counterparts from other countries," he said.
With files from The Canadian Press
