The Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Vassilis Maragos held a meeting with the Minister of Interior of Armenia, Arpie Sargsyan yesterday, February 26, 2025, following the visit of the first EU expert mission to the country.
During this meeting, they reviewed the progress on visa liberalisation and outlined the steps that need to be taken ahead of the second assessment mission, Schengen.News reports.
As explained by Armenpress, the EU Ambassador showed appreciation for the efforts and results that have been reached so far.
The same said that the cooperation between the EU and Armenia has been very effective and that they expect to continue seeing progress and effective implementation of reforms.
Minister Sargsyan also expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between the two parties. He thanked the EU authorities for providing their support regarding the ongoing reforms in the Ministry of Interior and subordinate departments.
In addition to the above-mentioned, the EU Ambassador and Minister Sargsyan also discussed the new planned joint steps. During the meeting, they outlined the direction of their cooperation in visa liberalisation and confirmed continued efforts.
The visa liberalisation is a significant agreement for Armenia. Under this deal, passport holders of Armenia will be able to travel to the Schengen Area visa-free. However, before the country is able to reach this agreement, it needs to meet some criteria and make reforms in accordance with the EU’s recommendations.
Armenian Lawmaker Hopeful That Visa-Free Travel Agreement With EU Will Be Reached Within a Few Years
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on EU Integration Affairs, Arman Yeghoyan, has said that he hopes for the visa liberalisation agreement with the bloc to be reached within a few years.
Yeghoyan said that the country’s authorities will do everything on their part to make the agreement happen as soon as possible. The same stressed that visa exemption is very important for the country while noting that they have been working tirelessly to make visa-free travel a reality.
In addition to working with the EU authorities on the matter, Yeghoyan said that they have also been working with the EU member states individually.
Just like Minister Sargsyan, Yeghoyan also assured that the Armenian authorities will continue to work with their EU counterparts and take all the necessary measures to ensure that the process will run smoothly.
The Prime Minister of Armenia has also said that the country expects a swift resolution on the visa-free travel agreement with the EU.
