Syrian singer Omar Souleyman
Ecstatic organisers of a Swedish music festival said that Syrian singer Omar Souleyman has finally been granted a visa after an initial application was refused.
\"Amazing news! Omar
Souleyman has just been granted an entry visa to Sweden! So he will be on stage,\" promoters said on the website of the Gothenburg festival, Way Out West.
The issue had become controversial after it was revealed that the singer had initially not been able to gain entry into Sweden, even though the artist had visited several EU countries since the beginning of the Syrian conflict.
Way Out West organisers said the star was treated the same as all other Syrians.
The Swedish government has refused to comment on the incident, claiming that every visa demand should be treated individually and confidentially, through the appropriate Swedish diplomatic channels.
In this instance, the final decision over the visa lay with the Swedish consulate in Istanbul as Souleyman lives in Turkey.
\"It is not the foreign ministry that decides,\" Foreign Minister Carl Bildt wrote on Twitter on Friday.
The legal director of the migrations agency said his organisation did not have the jurisdiction to rule on such requests and said that although there was no official line to refuse Syrians entry, they were less and less likely to have an opportunity to travel to Europe.
\"The worse things get in a country, the more difficult it is to obtain a visa to the EU,\" Mikael Ribbenvik, told SR public radio on Tuesday.
Souleyman sings in Kurdish and Arabic in a \"mixture of psychedelic folk, electronic music and dance\" and has collaborated with artists such as Bjork and Damon Albarn, the Blur singer, stated Way Out West.
Source: AFP
GMT 06:01 2018 Saturday ,20 January
How to take a bullet, by 'Den of Thieves' star 50 CentGMT 08:40 2018 Thursday ,18 January
Brigitte Bardot slams #MeToo 'publicity-seeking' actressesGMT 09:52 2018 Tuesday ,16 January
The Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan dies aged 46GMT 06:46 2018 Friday ,12 January
Elvis fans all shook up on Australia party trainGMT 10:19 2018 Wednesday ,10 January
And maybe Oprah, US celebrity politicians aboundGMT 09:45 2018 Monday ,08 January
As Globes mark cinema's successes, audiences shy awayGMT 10:39 2018 Sunday ,07 January
Golden Globes celebrate the year of the genre movieGMT 10:15 2018 Friday ,05 January
Men in black mocked for flimsy #MeToo supportMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor