ICMPD Director: We expect that there will be trusting environment for  EU-Armenia cooperation and EU will be able to rely on Armenia`s  actions 

ArmInfo.Armenia is committed to effective cooperation with the EU, it can be trusted as a partner. Martijn Pluim, Director of the Eastern Dimension, International  Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) , who is in Armenia  as part of the 2nd international conference on integrated border  management, stated in a conversation with ArmInfo.

 ''We are focused on cooperation with Armenia, which facilitates the effective work of  Armenia with partner countries, in particular regarding the  liberalization of the visa regime. Despite the fact that the issue of  visas is related to us indirectly, it improves our ability to work in  various areas of migration, in particular in matters of security and  refugee protection'', he said.

Martijn Pluim also noted that the ICMPD program currently implements  projects in cooperation with the Armenian government, aiming, first  of all, at achieving the tasks that the republic's government has  defined in terms of managing migration flows.

According to Pluim, within the framework of the general  recommendations that were requested by the EU, in particular  regarding the process of falsification or liberalization of visas,  the center of migration policy was actively introduced into these  processes, helping the Armenian government to achieve these goals.   ''That is, this primarily includes changing or improving procedures,  developing national strategies, cooperation with border services,  with our partners from UNDP, as well as with colleagues from Iran.  But first of all, we would like the situation to develop in such a  way that at the end or in the process of cooperation, a situation  arises in which the EU could rely on the actions of Armenia in the  framework of moving towards the goal of visa liberalization so that  there is a sufficiently trusting environment.

''In the end, the visa issue is a political decision, but from the  point of view of the EU member states, Armenia should work in this  direction so that this decision is made by the EU and that all  requirements are met. I can't make forecasts now, when exactly the  visa-free regime between Armenia and the EU will be introduced, I  can't predict the decisions that can be made by European countries,  on the other hand it is a question that needs to be answered, taking  into account the views of individual EU members . Last week,  negotiations on EU membership with Macedonia and Albania began, these  negotiations are not moving forward, this is a negative example, but  there are positive examples and I think that Armenia will be able to  take this step as well, "the Director for Migration Policy added.

Touching upon the bilateral vector of Armenia, in particular, the  accession of Armenia to the EAEU and the signing of the Comprehensive  and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the EU (CEPA), Pluim said:   ''You know when it became known that Armenia joins the EAEU, this was  of course a surprise for several official capitals of Europe, at the  same time I think that this example shows very clearly that Armenia  can be trusted as a partner, Armenia is committed to effective  cooperation with the EU, and I do not think that from the point of  view of everyday cooperation, memberships in the EAEU creates some  difficulties and barriers ", he said.