The visa liberalization process with the EU is progressing smoothly. Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan said this in an interview with the Public Television.
"That is, we have launched a dialogue, after which we received an action plan from our partners, which very clearly presents what is expected of the Armenian side. We are now implementing specific measures. During this period, we have had assessment missions and will continue to do so, which means that the European side will regularly review the action plan, understand which ones have been implemented and which have not been implemented," the minister emphasized.
He noted that the first progress report was very positive from European partners. "An unprecedented assessment was recorded. Armenia has ensured implementation at a progressive pace, especially the component of integrated border management for the introduction of a biometric system, and in other areas, they generally assessed the work done positively."
Sargsyan stressed that by November 1, the work plan will be fully implemented. "We can achieve visa liberalization in the shortest possible time. 2029 is the commitment of the Armenian government to ensure the implementation of all actions envisaged in the action plan, leaving the ball in the EU's court to make an appropriate decision.
Our target was the biometric system, which will be ready on November 1. Why 2029, because it is a component of integrated border management. There are many layers here, we need to address everything from staff training to physical and digital infrastructure, there is a lot to be done here."
Referring to the statement made by the EU representative that it is still too early to talk about the dates for visa liberalization with Armenia, Arpine Sargsyan said: "The sentences she uttered were manipulatively placed in the public domain. The speaker did not deny or refute the EU dialogue with Armenia in any way. She only emphasized, being an administrative official, that it is still too early to say exactly when visa liberalization will take place, and at the same time continued that they are strengthening relations with Armenia and are logically moving forward."
