Turkey announced it will provide citizens of Ireland and other 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.

Turkey announced last week that travellers from the UK, and five other European countries, will be able to enter the country for up to 90 days in 180 days.

Visa restrictions for tourists from Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain have also been lifted