A European Union delegation has arrived in Armenia to meet with the country’s authorities and develop a programme of negotiations for visa liberalisation.
Sharing the news, the Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister, Paruyr Hovhannisyan, said that 2024 has been an unprecedented year for advancing the EU-Armenia partnership.
The same stressed that both sides will be working together during this visit to take important steps in Armenia’s path to reaching visa-free travel to the bloc, Schengen.News reports.
According to Hovhannisyan, Armenia has already reached several achievements in border and security fields, with the country reaching agreements with Eurojust and Europol. Hovhannisyan further noted that the launch of the visa liberalisation dialogue with the EU is another achievement, among many others.
EU Commission Launched Visa Liberalisation Talks With Armenia in July This Year
The Commission of the EU officially launched the visa liberalisation talks with Armenia in July of this year.
Back then, the Commission said that these talks would offer support to the long-term goal of Armenia in achieving visa-free travel with the bloc and would help to strengthen people-to-people ties.
As the EU body explained, the visa liberalisation dialogue between the EU and Armenia will be focused on different areas. The same noted that the dialogue is aimed at leading reforms, mainly in the areas of security, migration and asylum, travel documents, and border management, among others.
Moreover, the same authority noted that the EU-Armenia visa liberalisation dialogue would be conducted under the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan and, at the same time, stressed that this is not an automatic process and that only after the dialogue is successfully completed and all conditions are made the EU will consider the visa-free travel agreement.
What Will Change for Armenians Once Visa Liberalisation Is Reached?
Once the visa liberalisation agreement between the EU and Armenia is reached, Armenians will be able to enter the territory of the Schengen Area without needing to apply for a Schengen visa.
While the visa-free travel agreement permits entry without a visa into the bloc, there is a limit to these stays. In line with the EU rules, as soon as the agreement is reached, Armenians will have to follow the 90/180-day rule. This rule means that those eligible for visa-free entry can stay in the territory of the Schengen Area for a maximum of three months within any six-month period.
As for Armenians who want to remain in the bloc for a longer period, they will have to undergo the procedures for obtaining a long-term visa, even after the visa liberalisation is reached.
Source: https://schengen.news/delegation-from-eu-visits-armenia-to-develop-visa-liberalisation-strategy/
