The Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has asked for France’s support in the process of the visa liberalisation dialogue with the European Union.
He made these remarks during a meeting with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, as the two representatives discussed strengthening the bilateral relationship.
President Macron told PM Pashinyan that France supported Armenia’s peace initiatives and vowed to support the South Caucasus country through the European Peace Facility, Schengen.News reports.
The peace treaty with Azerbaijan was discussed during this meeting, with the Amermian PM revealing that 80 per cent of the draft points have been agreed upon. Among the topics discussed was the Armenian “Crossroads of Peace” project, which aims to unblock regional transportation links.
EU & Armenia Have Already Launched Visa Liberalisation Talks at Political Level
Armenia and the EU launched visa liberalisation talks at the political level last month after years of being in the process of joining the EU.
The process of visa liberalisation is not the same for all countries, as each of the countries has different matters they have to improve in order to be eligible for the right to travel visa-free to the EU.
For starters, Armenia has assured the EU that there will not be any increase in migration when the visa liberalisation agreement is reached. This is one of the most serious concerns that the EU often faces in this process.
When people get the sense of, so to say, having big opportunities, then they have less desire to leave. Today, there are thousands of people in Europe and the US who are not returning to Armenia because they travelled there with difficulties, and if they return, they would not be able to go back again.
The PM pointed out that the idea of free movement enables Armenians to explore places but not necessarily migrate to the EU.
Armenians Filed Over 80,000 Schengen Visa Applications in 2023
According to the statistics published by the Schengen Visa Info, the number of visa applications filed by Armenians in 2023 reached a total of 80,356. Armenia ranks 28th for the largest number of Schengen visas filed for the year.
Out of 80,356 applications, 69,376 or 86.3 per cent of requests were approved, while 10,531, accounting for 13.2 per cent of applications, were issued a negative decision.
Armenians’ top destination for Schengen visa applications for 2023 was Greece, with 21,267 or more than a quarter (26.4 per cent) of applications being filed to this country. The second and third most popular destinations were Italy (20,380 applications) and Germany (13,387).