By David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
Discussions of the simplified visa regime and readmission approved by the European Parliament which started in the Armenian National Assembly have become a new reason for intensive parliamentary debates about the reasons why Armenia should join the Customs Union (CU). The agreement on simplification of visa procedures was signed in December 2012, the readmission agreement was signed in April 2013. Thus, Armenia became the second country of the region to simplify the visa regime with the EU after Georgia. Armenia adopted a visa-free regime for EU citizens unilaterally on April 1, 2013.
Armen Liloyan, head of the European Department of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, said that, with account of contacts with European states, the country had natural need to simplify the mechanism of visits of EU citizens to Armenia. According to the document presented to Armenian diplomats, members of state delegations, citizens with close relatives, students, journalists, athletes, businessmen, scientists and pupils will enjoy simplified mechanisms for Schengen visa-issuing. Schengen visas will be free of charge for pensioners, children under 12, the handicapped and people accompanying them, and post-graduates students. For others, the visa fees dropped from 60 to 35 euro. The volume of documentation needed for embassies will be reduced and time needed for visa decisions will drop to 10 days. Issuing of multi visas will also become easier.
Liloyan noted that ratification and realization of agreements will encourage dialogue with the EU to form a free market regime, though the problem of lifting the visa regime altogether remained complicated for some countries of the European Union in terms of migration. “With account of the fact that signing of the agreement by Armenia and the EU became a result of political will of the two sides, both agreements are mutually connected and come into force at the same time,” said the ministerial official.
Naira Karapetyan, a member of the Armenian delegation to the PACE, stated that the Visa Dialogue project aimed at implementation of the visa-free regime will be formed as soon as the documents are signed.
The question is, how can the agreements match the lost opportunity to sign the association agreement and the free trade zone agreement in Vilnius? According to Liloyan, the summit of the Eastern Partnership is not the end. “Yerevan has said time and again that the process of rapprochement with Europe will continue in all fields, without interfering in Eurasian integration processes. The DCFTA and AA are not the goals in themselves, they are instruments for development of Armenia. Considering the range of such instruments, Armenia will choose the most preferable ones,” said Liloyan.
At the same time, Alexander Arzumanyan, a member of the Free Democrats Party (opposition) and Armenian ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs, characterized the DCFTA as a “high-tech instrument” and the Eurasian Union as a “rusty wrench.” Noting the productivity of the past year of discussions of integration with the EU, the oppositionist emphasized that the process was dragged only because of Moscow. Arzumanyan expressed confidence that Armenia will continue European integration at any cost.
Naira Zograbyan, Secretary of Prosperous Armenia, objected that no one in Armenia or Europe knew what Armenia would expect after the Vilnius summit and how would relations with Europe develop after it. “With no awareness of the obligations Armenia would take by joining the CU, evaluation of the line the country would cross when intensifying relations with Europe is impossible.”
Gagik Makaryan, Chairman of the Armenian Union of Employers, said that many entrepreneurs were outraged by the fact that their opinion on membership in the CU was totally neglected. Azumanyan recommended he express a consolidated rating of integration processes. “I am sure that if business chooses Europe, political authorities will be obliged to serve the business interests,” the ex-minister stated.
Armenian Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan declared that joining the CU became the price Armenia paid to avoid higher gas prices. “By joining the CU, Armenia will pay $189 per 1000 square meters of gas, instead of $270, starting on April 1. The decision to join the CU even to avoid higher gas prices was worth it because 30% is a pretty big number,” said the minister. Before deciding to join the CU, Yerevan had had additional talks with Gazprom, trying to find alternate paths for 30% subsidy of gas that had become more expensive on April 1, 2013. Thus, the government fixed the price at $189 by joining the CU and freed itself from gas debts accumulated since April 1.
