Tuesday, November 26 2019 18:33

ArmInfo.There is no geopolitical context in the issue of starting a dialogue on visa  liberalization between Armenia and the European Union. Deputy  Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia of the European  External Action Service Luke Devine said, at a press conference on  the bicentennial of the signing of Armenia-EU Comprehensive and  Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

According to him, this issue is in the competence of the EU member  states. "Some countries have questions related to finding Armenian  citizens on their territory, violation of time limits on their part,  etc.  These questions should receive their logical solution. You  understand, this is not the task of encouraging friends. There are  real problems that need a solution. I don't see a political  connotation here, "Devin said, expressing the hope that EU countries  will soon reach a consensus on starting a dialogue on visa  liberalization..

In turn, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Avet Adonts stated that  the implementation of work on the liberalization of the visa regime  between Armenia and the EU will begin when the dialogue starts. He  informed that the Government of Armenia, with the involvement of  responsible structures, has launched a unilateral initiative, the  purpose of which is to identify problems in this issue and, if  possible, eliminate them, in the framework of bilateral meetings with  each of the EU member states, thereby contributing to the early start  of the dialogue process. "You need to understand that only on the  basis of consensus between all EU countries will it be possible to  begin a dialogue and we hope that this will happen soon," Adonts  concluded.

An agreement on simplification of visa issuance procedures was signed  in December 2012, and a readmission agreement between Armenia and the  European Union in April 2013. Both agreements entered into force on  January 1, 2015. In accordance with the agreement on visa  facilitation, a number of categories of citizens of Armenia got the  opportunity to visit the Schengen area by facilitated procedures, in  particular, members of official delegations, scientists, students,  journalists, sports and cultural figures, close relatives of lawfully  residing in EU countries, participants in events organized by the  structures of the Armenian Diaspora operating in the EU, and others.  As well as lowering the tariffs for an entry visa to the Schengen  zone to 35 euros. Along with this, this visa is granted free of  charge to a number of categories of citizens, including children and  pensioners. In addition, this agreement allows Armenian citizens to  visit EU countries on short-term visas for a period of 180 days  (instead of the former 90's) For several years, official Yerevan has  insisted on the need to move to a new stage and start a dialogue on  liberalizing the visa regime, meanwhile, the European side has  postponed this process under various pretexts.