Juncker says stands for starting visa talks between Armenia and EU

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Commission stands for the start of talks on the visa liberalization dialogue with Armenia as soon as possible, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told a joint press conference with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn on Tuesday, March 5.

"I myself and Commissioner Hahn are ready to support this process as much as possible, and while talking to the Prime Minister, we noted that we were going to launch a stronger dialogue with those member states consistent in this matter. But we, as the European Commission, stand for the start of talks on the visa liberalization dialogue as soon as possible. This is important for both Armenia and the European Union. This is a matter of strong commitment for us as we want more Armenians to travel to the European Union and vice versa," Juncker said.

"We do not want people to perceive us only through institutions, we want people to travel freely so that the Armenians could come to Europe without a visa, get closer and better know us. We have also developed six projects to boost ties with neighbors. Continuation is crucial: people need to communicate with each other in addition to their states and governments. And we are trying to do everything in this matter."

Pashinyan paid a three-day visit to Brussels to boost ties between Armenia and the European Union. Meeting EU officials, the head of the Armenian government raised issues concerning the country's reform agenda, visa-free travel for Armenian citizens to the members of the 28-state bloc, the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), to name a few.