Deputy Foreign Minister on Visa Liberalization with the EU

The issue of visa liberalization with the European Union is a sensitive topic, and it is difficult to say whether Armenia is satisfied with the cooperation in this area. This was stated today by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Paruir Hovhannisyan, during a meeting of the National Assembly’s permanent committee on European integration in response to a question from Armen Gevorgyan, a member of the ‘Armenia’ faction, regarding what expectations we might have regarding the timelines for visa liberalization.

“You have been negotiating for over a year, is there any clarity on when this issue will be resolved? Or should we gather here every year and say that we are negotiating intensively, and this could take 2, 3, 4, or 5 years? As the negotiator from the Armenian side, what timeline issues have you set?” Gevorgyan asked.

Hovhannisyan noted that numerous complaints have been received regarding the incomplete implementation of the EU visa facilitation agreement. “There are many complaints, and they do not decrease. Efforts are being made; we are negotiating with various countries, and the issue has partially, we think, improved due to the opening of new consulates. However, the situation cannot be considered satisfactory,” said Hovhannisyan.

Regarding timelines, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs mentioned that he would prefer to provide specific timelines, but EU officials also tend to avoid discussing deadlines. Considering the experiences of other countries, the process generally takes between 3 to 5 or 6 years.

It should be noted that the Permanent Committee on European Integration of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia approved today a draft law on starting the EU accession process to be included in the agenda of the NA four-day sessions. This means that the draft will be discussed in the second reading during the upcoming four-day session.