Kazakhstan Pushes EU for Swift Start to Schengen Visa Facilitation Talks

Kazakhstan Pushes EU for Swift Start to Schengen Visa Facilitation Talks

The European Union Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Aleška Simkić, and the Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister, Roman Vassilenko, had a meeting yesterday, December 23.

During this meeting, Vassilenko pushed for the bloc to launch the negotiations on the Visa Facilitation Agreement at the earliest possible date, Schengen.News reports.

According to Vassilenko, the prompt start of the Schengen visa facilitation negotiations will be of mutual importance for both parties.

He further noted that the country is currently being prepared to sign the Horizontal Aviation Agreement with the EU, whose aim is to foster stronger people-to-people ties and strengthen business.

In addition to the above-mentioned, Simkić and Vassilenko agreed to increase their cooperation in different fields and, at the same time, welcomed the progress achieved in different agreements reached between both parties.

EU Recently Confirmed Its Readiness to Commence Preparations for Visa Facilitation Negotiations

Earlier in October of this year, the EU confirmed that it is ready to deepen its cooperation with Kazakhstan. During a meeting with the Kazakhstan authorities, both parties said that they are open to begin preparations for the Visa Facilitation Agreement negotiations and noted that they also want to begin working on the Readmission Agreement.

The EU and Kazakhstan officially launched talks to simplify the visa application process for Kazakhstanis in June 2024. Despite these talks being launched, negotiations need to be prepared before any facilitation and decision is considered.

Kazakhstan Wants EU to Issue Longer Validity Visas & Facilitate Some Other Rules
Through these negotiations, Kazakhstan wants to push the EU to facilitate some of its Schengen visa application rules for its citizens.

The authorities of Kazakhstan previously said that they want the bloc to lower the Schengen visa application fee, which was increased in June of this year from €80 to €90.

Moreover, Kazakhstan has also required the EU to issue visas with a longer validity period for its nationals. The authorities have also asked the bloc to process the visa applications filed by Kazakhstanis faster, among other things.

In return, the country has assured the EU that there should not be any concerns related to irregular migration once the visa rules are facilitated. The Kazakhstan authorities said that the country has taken several steps that are aimed at ensuring that those entering the EU as tourists return back to the country.

Additionally, the authorities highlighted that they would cooperate with the readmission of their nationals who stayed in the bloc irregularly without the needed documentation.

Source: https://schengen.news/kazakhstan-pushes-eu-for-swift-start-to-schengen-visa-facilitation-talks/