The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, has said that the EU should not worry about an increase in irregular migration when the visa liberalisation agreement is reached.
During his speech at the Global Armenian Summit, Pashinyan assured that the country has taken all the necessary measures and that there is no place for such concerns, Schengen.News reports.
According to Pashinyan, Georgia is a close example of Armenia, suggesting that no major migration occurrences were registered and that the EU does not need to be concerned about Armenians staying irregularly in the bloc.
He further emphasised that when people have the opportunity to move freely, there is no desire for them to leave their home country, Armenpress notes.
As he explained, the idea of free movement lets people explore places but does not make them stay irregularly in a country, as they are able to travel whenever they want.
When people get the sense of, so to say, having big opportunities, then they have less desire to leave. Today, there are thousands of people in Europe and the US who are not returning to Armenia because they travelled there with difficulties, and if they return, they wouldn’t be able to go back again.
EU & Armenia Launched Political Level Dialogue on Visa Liberalisation Last Week
The European Union and Armenia launched a dialogue on visa liberalisation at the political level last week.
Commenting on the move, the EU authorities said that the beginning of the dialogue is a strong indicator that the member states are determined to deepen the partnership with Armenia.
Through this dialogue, the EU and Armenia authorities aim to reach an agreement that would permit Armenians to enter and stay in the bloc for short stays without needing to undergo the visa process.
While concerns remain on such an agreement, the EU Ambassador to Armenia, Vassilis Maragos, has said that visa liberalisation is achievable for Armenia.
According to him, visa-free travel for Armenians could be possible soon through joint efforts, suggesting that the authorities should work together in different areas, including border management and judicial reforms, among others.
In addition, Maragos noted that it is important that Armenians have secure passports so that they can be properly identified when entering the EU.
In particular, document security is very important to ensure that travellers have secure passports and can be properly identified.
Just recently, Armenians complained that they are facing long waiting times when applying for Schengen visas and called on the EU authorities to facilitate the procedures.
They also said that the waiting times are unnecessary and that they are losing money in the application process.
