Armenia’s Minister of Justice, Srbuhi Galyan, received Italy’s newly appointed Ambassador to Armenia, Alessandro Ferranti, to discuss potential avenues for cooperation with the European Union on the visa liberalization process.

Galyan welcomed the ambassador to his new post and outlined the ongoing reform efforts at the Ministry of Justice. She addressed constitutional amendments, development of the judicial and legal system, anti-corruption initiatives, human rights protection mechanisms, and reforms in the penitentiary and probation systems.

Ambassador Ferranti expressed gratitude for the warm reception and reaffirmed Italy’s willingness to explore collaboration in the mentioned areas.

Both sides highlighted the importance of digitalizing Armenia’s justice system, which is currently a key priority for the ministry.

On March 26, Armenia’s National Assembly passed a bill in its second and final reading to initiate the process of applying for EU membership. The Armenian government had approved the motion on January 9, based on a proposal by the Eurovote civic initiative. The EU has not yet issued an official invitation for membership talks. Opposition parties have criticized the measure as legally unsound. President Vahagn Khachaturyan has signed the bill into law. Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk warned that Armenia “cannot sit on two chairs” and would have to choose between the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union.