Tunisia has demanded Tuesday the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to publicly apologize over the brief travel ban on Tunisian women, saying that the UAE had provided no explanation for the move.
During an radio interview, Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui said Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan had already called him and personally apologized.
The minister said a public apology is also necessary and without it, the two countries can "maintain business as usual."
"We hoped there would be some sort of discussion, for our advice to be taken into account but it is a complex situation that shocked us from the very beginning," he said.
However, Jhinaoui said the disagreement will be resolved in the upcoming day, describing the row a "technical problem" rather than a diplomatic one.
"We have a lot of common interests that we would like to safeguard, but we also are safeguarding our women's dignity," he said.
On Friday, Emirates Airlines barred several Tunisian women from flying aboard a UAE-bound flight without giving an explanation.
The move sparked a row between the two countries, with Tunisian authorities announcing Sunday its suspension of Emirates Airlines flights to the North African country.
The Emirates said Monday it will comply with the Tunisian request and suspend all of its flights to the country.
UAE Minister of State Anwar Gargash said in a tweet on Sunday that the UAE told Tunisia about security information that necessitated specific and temporary measures.
Since then, Saida Garrach, an advisor at the Tunisian presidency, told local radio Shems FM that the UAE had "serious information over the possibility of terrorist acts as part of returning fighters leaving Iraq and Syria," and that the two countries were now working together to address the threat.
