EU Starts Visa Liberalization Talks With Armenia

YEREVAN — The European Union and Armenia have opened official negotiations on lifting the EU’s visa requirements for Armenian citizens, a process which is expected to take years.

Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas presided over the first round of the talks in Yerevan on Monday.

“The launch of the visa liberalization dialogue is a clear demonstration of our commitment to enhancing mobility and cooperation with Armenia,” a joint statement issued by the two sides quoted Schinas as saying.

The statement said the dialogue will focus on “areas which are crucial for future visa-free travel to the EU.” Those include “document security, border and migration management, the fight against corruption and organized crime as well as upholding fundamental rights,” it said.

“I think it is realistic to complete the process in two or three years,” Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “The Armenian side is ready to move forward without wasting time.”

Another vice-minister, Paruyr Hovannisyan, said the Armenian government is “quite optimistic” about such a time frame. “In any case, there is nothing insurmountable,” said Hovannisyan.

The joint statement stressed in this regard that the negotiations “will last as long as it is necessary” and that “there will be no automatic transition to visa-free travel” after their successful conclusion.

“All benchmarks must be fully met before the final decision on visa liberalization is taken by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament,” it said, noting the fact the eventual lifting of EU visas for Armenians will require the unanimous approval of the bloc’s 27 member states.

Neighboring Georgia needed five years of negotiations to secure a visa-free regime for its citizens. Another ex-Soviet state, Moldova, completed the same process within four years.

According to Hovannisyan, the agenda of the visa liberalization dialogue with Brussels also includes issues such as the creation of a national system of health insurance in Armenia and the issuance of biometric passports to Armenian nationals.