Turkey grants visa exemptions to 4 EU members and Norway

Turkey announced Thursday it will provide citizens of four EU countries and Norway, 90-day visa exemption for tourist travel.

"In order to sustain unity in our visa regime towards the members of the European Union and Schengen area, Turkey has decided to exempt visa requirements for the citizens of Croatia, Ireland, Malta, Portugal and Norway," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy in a statement.

The exemption will be provided to countries for tourist travel for 90-day visits once every 180 days.

"This step aims at increasing our tourism potential with these countries as well as further developing our bilateral relations in other areas," it added.