The Commission of the European Union has announced the official launch of visa liberalization talks with Armenia.
The launch of these talks with Armenia, which aim to make it possible for Armenians to enter the bloc visa-free, was made following an acknowledgment made by the Foreign Affairs Council, VisaGuide.World reports.
As the Commission highlighted, the visa liberalisation talks will support Armenia in reaching its long-term goal of achieving a visa free regime with the EU.
However, before being able to gain visa-free access to the bloc, Armenia will have to make several reforms in border management, security of travel documents, and public order, among others.
The dialogue between the EU and Armenia, which will soon be presented to the latter’s authorities, will be conducted under a Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP).
During the dialogue, Armenia will be able to start working on the EU’s requirements. Visa liberalization will be considered only after all the conditions listed in the VLAP are met.
Visa liberalization is not an automatic process. It will be considered only once the dialogue is successfully completed and all the conditions listed in the VLAP are met.
Armenia Welcomes Launch of Visa Liberalization Talks
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, has welcomed the launch of the visa liberalization talks with the EU.
Minister Mirzoyan said that the country welcomes this historic decision and, at the same time, stressed the importance of deepening the partnership with the EU.
We welcome the historic decisions made by the EU at the level of foreign ministers, providing Armenia with support through the European Peace Facility and starting a dialogue on visa liberalization.
The Council of the EU has also welcomed the decision of the Commission to launch the visa liberalization dialogue with Armenia.
However, the authority stressed that the lifting of visa requirements for Armenia will be considered only when the country fulfills all the benchmarks that the EU will set.
The possibility of lifting the visa obligations for Armenian citizens will only be considered upon the complete fulfillment of the benchmarks.
Armenians Will Be Able to Travel to EU Visa-Free When Dialogue is Successfully Completed
As soon as the visa liberalization dialogue with the EU and Armenia is successfully completed, all citizens of Armenia will be able to travel visa-free to the bloc for short stays.
Under the visa-free regime, Armenians will be able to stay within the territory of the EU for up to 90 days within any 180-day period without having to under the visa procedure.
As for those who want to stay in the bloc for a longer period, they will still have to apply for a long-term visa.