Armenia welcomes start of dialogue on EU visa liberalization – Foreign Minister

YEREVAN, November 16. /ARKA/. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan at a meeting with European Commission Vice-President for Promoting  European Way of Life ·  Margaritis Schinas welcomed the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council’s November 13 decision “to explore an option for visa liberalization for Armenia.’

Mirzoyan emphasized that this decision is in line with the deepening cooperation between Armenia and the EU and will play a significant role in the development of people-to-people contacts, Armenian Foreign Ministry said.

During the discussion of a number of issues on the Armenia-EU partnership agenda the interlocutors expressed satisfaction with the deepening of the dialog, including in different areas , and expressed readiness to promote its further expansion with new initiatives.

Mirzoyan and Schinas discussed the current and future cooperation with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), as well as a set of issues of mutual interest in the sphere of security.

They emphasized the progress made by Armenia on a number of indicators related to the European way of life, as well as the EU's continued support for ambitious reforms in strengthening democratic institutions, the rule of law and the protection of human rights in Armenia.

Regional stability issues were also touched upon. Mirzoyan presented the vision of the Republic of Armenia for the establishment of lasting peace in the region, as well as the steps of the Armenian government aimed at meeting the needs and rights of more than 100 thousand Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan. --0-