Pashinyan targets visa-free travel by 2029

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian government aims to secure visa liberalisation with the European Union by 2029, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a joint press conference held as part of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's working visit.

Pashinyan said the European Union is one of Armenia's most reliable partners and that bilateral relations have become closer than ever, according to Aravot.am .

"During the election campaign, I said that our goal is to achieve visa liberalisation within two years, that is, by 2029. I agree that much depends on us. The questions should not be directed to the EU but to ourselves—how prepared we are and how effectively we implement our reform agenda. One thing is clear: the people of Armenia are waiting for this decision. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity. I hope we will act quickly and efficiently to achieve this goal within the planned timeframe," he said.

Asked what steps are being taken to ensure that the Armenia-EU visa liberalisation process delivers tangible results for Armenian citizens, von der Leyen said Armenia is currently the only EU partner country engaged in an active visa liberalisation dialogue with the bloc.

"This demonstrates the level of our partnership. We know you are committed to this agenda. A new assessment mission will visit Armenia this autumn to evaluate the country's progress. This is a process based on meeting specific benchmarks. You are working hard in this direction, and once all the necessary criteria have been fulfilled, we can move to a visa-free regime," she said.

Pashinyan thanked the European Union for providing Armenia with €52 million in financial assistance and expressed hope that EU support for trade diversification and export promotion would continue.

He also thanked the EU for presenting a proposal on autonomous trade measures for Armenian products in EU member states, stressing that once the measure enters fully into force, Armenia will become the first country that is neither an EU candidate nor has a free trade agreement with the bloc to benefit from the instrument.

Earlier, during her meeting with Pashinyan in Yerevan, von der Leyen said that if Russia closes its market to Armenian products, the European Union will open its market of 450 million consumers to Armenian goods.