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On April 30, the RA NA Standing Committee on European Integration hosted Carel Hofstra, the Team Leader of Yerevan Office of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development and the Project Officer Andrey Apoyan.

The interlocutors discussed a number of issues on the terms and conditions of the launch of the visa liberalisation dialogue for the citizens of Armenia with the EU. The guests noted that Armenia recorded a significant progress in the investment of biometrical passports, the improvement of the border control and the modernisation of the northern border checkpoints of the country. Carel Hofstra also underlined that with the support of the European Union the modernisation process of Meghri border checkpoint would begin soon.

The Committee Chair Arman Yeghoyan has noted that Armenia is not only technically ready for the launch of the visa liberalisation dialogue with the European Union, but also politically, as after the political changes of the last year our country has registered unprecedented progress in protection of the fundamental rights of the human being and the citizen, freedom of speech, press and assemblies, which is one of the main demands of the visa liberalisation action plan. He has added that the number of the citizens of Armenia asking for asylum from the European Union countries has decreased in 2018 compared with 2017 for more than three times, and if this dynamics will be preserved then we can state that there is no political obstacle for the launch of the visa liberalisation dialogue.

The sides agreed with joint efforts on one hand to raise the public awareness about the nuances of the visa liberalisation process, and on the other hand present more thoroughly the EU countries the degree of readiness of Armenia to the process.