Armenia and EU sign agreement on readmission

Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom, and Irish Ambassador to the EU Rory Montgomery signed today in Brussels an agreement on readmission between Armenia and the European Union, the press service of Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

Delivering a speech at the signing ceremony, Edward Nalbandian said: “Armenia has signed agreements on readmission with over a dozen EU countries, even with states which had not signed such agreements. We did it as a gesture of goodwill.

By signing this agreement, we lay the foundation for regulated processes of readmission between Armenia and all countries of the EU”.

E. Nalbandian said that in October 2011, Armenia and the EU signed the Joint Declaration on a Mobility Partnership, aimed at improving the management of legal and labor migration.

“Great progress in cooperation between Armenia and the EU in terms of strengthening mobility, migration and human contacts has been made in recent years ,” Nalbandian declared.

He then said: “We look forward to rapid ratification of the visa facilitation and readmission agreements by the EU, which will allow starting negotiations on the liberalization of the visa regime”.

On the same day Edward Nalbandian met with European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule.

The interlocutors discussed the already signed visa facilitation and readmission agreements, the Association Agreement, which is now in his final stage, and the negotiations on establishing a deep and comprehensive free trade area.

They also discussed the preparatory work for organizing a conference of donors supporting reforms in Armenia.