The Ball Will Be in Armenia's Court: Arpine Sargsyan on EU Visa Liberalization

Armenia expects to receive the final text of the Armenia-EU visa liberalization action plan from Europe by the end of September. This was announced by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Arpine Sargsyan, during a conversation with reporters.

"We are nearing the final stages of receiving the action plan. We have worked quite extensively with our partners and have announced the start of the dialogue. Moreover, this is exceptional in the European region, as the EU has hardly initiated dialogue in recent years. Armenia has been considered an exception in this case. Several missions have already arrived in Armenia. We expect to receive the final text of the action plan to the Armenian side this autumn," Sargsyan said.

Sargsyan is working with EU partners to ensure that Armenia receives the text as soon as possible. She noted, therefore, that the ball will be in Armenia's court.

"Initially, we are expected to receive the action plan by the end of September. Subsequently, we will engage in implementing all necessary activities," the minister added, indicating that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is not the only one with responsibilities in this regard.

Sargsyan also announced that the biometric new system is planned to be operational by the second half of 2026. Currently, work is underway to finalize the design of both the passport and the identification card.