LISBON, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said on Wednesday that the temporary cancellation of visa issuance in Iran arises from security reasons related to the operation of the consular section of the Portuguese Embassy in Tehran.
"There are security concerns that have to do with conditions of operation of our consular post" which are behind the suspension of the granting of visas, Rebelo de Sousa told reporters in Coimbra, according to Portuguese Lusa News Agency.
"It has nothing to do with diplomatic relations, it has nothing to do with the relations that exist between states," he said, quoted by Lusa, adding that "it has to do with a specific problem determined by security reasons."
On Tuesday, Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva clarified that the suspension of visas for Iranian citizens is a "precautionary decision of the Portuguese authorities to improve the security of their consular post and does not result from an assessment of the general security conditions in Iran or any other institutional or political aspect."
"The suspension is temporary" and "while it lasts, alternative means will be sought to issue the documents necessary for the movement of people," he added.
