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EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini commented on the prospects of launching a visa liberalization dialogue with Armenia at today’s joint news conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanan following the first meeting of EU-Armenia Partnership Council held in Brussels.

“We discussed the launching of a visa liberalization dialogue during our council, and I know how important this is for not only the government but also for the citizens of the country,” she said in response to the question seeking to clarify the timeframes of starting such talks.

She noted that today’s meeting discussed the implementation of the visa facilitation and readmission agreements between the EU and Armenia, stressing it is a technical requirement to move forward to the next steps.

“That technical precondition could lead to start a visa liberalization dialogue with visa-free regime as a final goal,” Mogherini stressed.

The official also noted that the decision of launching the EU-Armenia visa-free travel talks is in the hands of the EU Council.

“It’s a question to be put more to the member states than to myself. What I can say is that again the visa facilitation and readmission agreements with Armenia are being implemented well; there are always margins for improvement, we discussed them today, and overall I think this is a positive area for our cooperation,” she replied.

The European Union and Armenia held on Thursday the first meeting of the Partnership Council under the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was signed on 24 November 2017 and entered into provisional application on 1 June 2018. The Council is the highest body established under the CEPA to supervise the implementation of the agreement and to discuss issues of mutual interest. 

Armenia and the EU signed the Agreement on Visa Facilitation on 17 December 2012 and the Agreement on Readmission on 19 April 2013, which entered into force on 1 January 2014. The visa facilitation deal makes it easier for citizens of Armenia, in particular those who travel most, to acquire short-stay visas allowing them to travel to and freely throughout the EU.