Deputy Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, Johannes Luchner, has officially delivered the visa liberalization action plan to Armenia’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Arpine Sargsyan. The handover marks a significant step in the EU-Armenia visa dialogue.
The document details the reforms Armenia must undertake in areas such as security, border control, human rights, and public safety, Armenpress reports.
“We have just handed over the visa liberalization action plan to the Minister of Internal Affairs. It outlines numerous targets across different sectors, from security to human rights, that need to be achieved in the coming years. I congratulate the minister and the Armenian authorities on the rapid and substantial progress in this process. We are ready to continue working together to make these goals a reality,” said Luchner.
Arpine Sargsyan described the document as a historic milestone on the path to implementing the EU-Armenia visa liberalization dialogue.
“This is truly a historic event. For the first time, we have a tangible outcome within the visa liberalization dialogue, a result of joint efforts. Today, Armenia officially received the EU’s visa liberalization action plan. Notably, Armenia is currently the only country engaged in continuous dialogue with the EU on this topic.
I want to stress that the presented action plan fully aligns with Armenia’s reform agenda. It includes measures that will significantly impact the lives of our citizens, particularly by enabling dignified travel to EU member states,” she stated.
The minister emphasized that the plan includes reforms in migration management, asylum systems, border control, human rights, and public safety, the core components of Armenia’s European integration.
“I reaffirm Armenia’s commitment to thoroughly implement every measure outlined in this plan. We have reached this important stage in a very short time, and I recognize the high public expectations it has generated,” Sargsyan added.
Armenia and the European Union launched their visa liberalization dialogue in September 2024. Since then, active negotiations, official visits, and high-level meetings have taken place to move the process forward.
