New Visa-Free Direction for Armenians: Government Approves Proposal

The government has approved the proposal to sign an agreement on 'the exemption of entry visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, official, and ordinary passports between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica.' The appropriateness of signing the agreement is conditioned by the development and strengthening of cooperative relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Commonwealth of Dominica.

According to the justification, the Republic of Armenia has a visa-free regime with three countries in Central and South America, specifically the Republic of Argentina, the Federative Republic of Brazil, and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, as well as agreements with the United Mexican States and Chile to remove visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and official passports. Concurrently, relevant measures are being implemented towards signing similar agreements with other states in the region.

The signing of the agreement will contribute to the development of relations with the Commonwealth of Dominica by promoting mutual visits of official delegations and citizens, tourism, and increasing recognition of each country. The aim of the agreement is to exempt citizens holding diplomatic, official, and ordinary valid passports from visa, transit, and residence permit requirements for entry into each other's territory for a period not exceeding 90 days from the date of entry.

The proposal was also approved for the bill on the ratification of the agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the Eurasian Development Bank on the provision of a grant for financing the program aimed at 'Increasing the Level of Preparedness of the Republic of Armenia for the COVID-19 Pandemic: Detection and Response to the Threat from Coronavirus,' signed on September 16, 2021.

Within the framework of this agreement, a program is planned to enhance the strategic preparedness and response process for outbreaks of COVID-19, to strengthen the health system, particularly for the detection and diagnosis of the coronavirus, as well as the capabilities of intensive care services, through the provision of essential medical equipment, supplies, and means necessary for diagnosis and treatment, organizing the protection of healthcare workers, public awareness, triage and management of virus-infected patients, and training of healthcare workers on infection control guidelines.

Concerning the global COVID-19 pandemic, the goal of the program is to ensure the continuity of medical services and the capability to respond quickly to the threat of disease spread (timely testing and treatment of COVID-19 patients), considering the potential waves of the virus and seasonal exacerbations. Within the three components anticipated by the program, several tasks are planned: enhancing the effectiveness of infection prevention and control, particularly the upgrading of branches of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the Ararat and Armavir regions of Armenia.

Additionally, work will be undertaken to strengthen the management system of infectious diseases, notably enhancing the infrastructure of the infectious disease service in the Lori region, improving the building conditions of the infectious services in Vanadzor—construction of a new building with 30 beds, with the possibility of expansion, upgrading of the Vanadzor infectious service, including the procurement of specific medical equipment, furniture, and supplies for the laboratory and intensive care service, and organizing training courses for medical staff on managing COVID-19 patients (proposed according to WHO procedures).

Moreover, activities will be carried out to raise public awareness, particularly by developing a public awareness strategy and using various information platforms for public enlightenment. It is proposed to allocate a grant of 3 million USD for the implementation of the program.

Approval has also been granted for the draft presidential decree regarding the eleventh amendment to the cooperation agreement aimed at developing more participatory, effective, and accountable governance between the Republic of Armenia and the United States of America. The agreement was signed on September 28, 2013, with the primary goal of assisting Armenia in making a rapid transition to a more participatory, effective, and accountable form of governance.

Under this agreement, financial resources are provided by the American side to support the reforms of the Armenian government in priority areas such as electoral administration and political parties, strengthening legislation, decentralization and local self-governance, rule of law, transparency, accountability, civil society, and media capacity development. To date, 10 amendments have been made to the aforementioned agreement, with each amendment providing for additional financial allocations and/or new program areas. The eleventh amendment is expected to add 1,858,470.56 USD for the programs implemented under the agreement, making the total expected investment from the US 66,198,913.56 USD.

Support programs will focus on assisting vulnerable populations and mitigating the issues arising from the conflict in Artsakh in September 2020. With this amendment, funding will be provided for social services for women and girls directly affected by the conflict, including those displaced from Artsakh and family members of individuals who have been killed, wounded, or gone missing as a result of the conflict. Additional funding of 1,358,470.56 USD will be directed to the Conflict Mitigation and Stabilization program area, while 500,000 USD will be allocated to the Rule of Law and Human Rights program area to support initiatives to combat human trafficking.