The EU Council Approves Proposal to Start Visa Liberalization Talks with Armenia

After years of negotiations, the European Council in Brussels has finally approved the European Commission's proposal to commence visa liberalization talks with Armenia, as reported by diplomatic sources of "Freedom".

“Following the approval from the 27 member states, the matter will be handed over to the European Commission, which will announce when the negotiations will begin and what action plan will be set forth for Yerevan,” explains Rikard Yozvyak, Europe Editor at "Freedom" radio.

This means that annual reports on the actions taken will be presented, continuing for several years. In the case of some countries, such as Moldova, this took between 3 to 4 years, for Georgia it was 5 years, and for Ukraine 9 years. Negotiations with Turkey have been ongoing for over 10 years, indicating that each country follows its own unique timeline in this process. This marks the beginning of a process that will require time to reach completion.

The decision pertaining to Armenia today states that the visa requirement will only be lifted upon the full fulfillment of all necessary criteria.