The European Union May Lift Entry Restrictions for Armenian Citizens

According to a diplomatic source at the European Council, as reported by Radio Liberty, the EU presidency has proposed to include Armenia among the countries whose citizens can visit the Schengen Area for tourism purposes, as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

It is expected that this issue will be discussed and voted on at the meeting of EU ambassadors tomorrow. However, the implementation of the recommendation is left to the discretion of EU member states. For example, last July, when the European Council included Georgia in the list of 'safe' countries, several European countries decided to open their borders to Georgian citizens, while the Czech Republic did not follow that recommendation due to the epidemiological situation within its own borders.

Currently, there are 15 countries and regions in the EU 'green zone', including the United States, Israel, South Korea, and Singapore. The list is updated every two weeks.

According to diplomatic sources, the EU presidency is now recommending to add another 10 countries to the list, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, and Kosovo, where the epidemiological situation has reportedly improved, according to European experts. If the proposal is approved by the EU ambassadors and subsequently by EU member states, Armenian citizens would be required to present only a negative coronavirus test result or to certify that they have been vaccinated with a vaccine registered in the EU area to cross the border.