A EU delegation has arrived in Yerevan to develop a plan of negotiations on visa liberalisation, Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan said.
EU delegation arrived in Yerevan for visa liberalisation talks
A delegation of the European Union has arrived in Yerevan to work out a plan of negotiations on visa liberalisation with Armenia. Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan said this during the discussions on the draft state budget for 2025 at the joint session of the standing committees of the Armenian National Assembly on Tuesday.
According to Hovhannisyan, this year was unprecedented in terms of promoting the Armenia-EU partnership agenda. The deputy foreign minister noted numerous achievements made in various spheres in this direction. He also said:
“A dialogue has begun regarding the liberalization of European visas for the citizens of the Republic of Armenia. The European Union delegation will be in Yerevan on November 5-6. Their goal is to develop a corresponding negotiation plan.”
The draft of the new Armenia-EU partnership agenda is also being finalised. The Armenian official emphasised:
“All these steps, of course, will have their impact on the work planned for 2025.”
Armenia to receive €270 million in EU assistance over 4 years
Armenia will receive €270 million in aid from the EU over 4 years, as well as two grants totalling €13.8 million in 2025. Paruyr Hovhannisyan said:
“In the context of Armenia-EU relations, I would like to highlight one program:”Resilience and Development,” which envisions €270 million in assistance. This program is planned for four years and is currently in its finalisation stage.”
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan said that two EU grants totalling €13.8 million are expected to be allocated to Armenia’s state budget in 2025.
4.5 million euros are intended to support judicial reforms and 9.3 million euros for education, he aldo said.
Armenia-EU co-operation
The Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), whose ratification process took about 3 years, entered into force on March 1, 2021.
In September 2024, the EU-Armenia visa liberalisation dialogue was officially launched and a new comprehensive document called “New Partnership Agenda” is being drafted.
On October 25, 2024, by the decision of Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, an inter-agency working group was formed to coordinate activities within the framework of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). It will be in charge, in particular, of developing the government’s action program within the framework of the dialogue on visa liberalization between Armenia and the EU.
