Zhamanak: EU wants guarantees that Armenia will not be transit country for Russians  

The Europeans wants strong guarantees that the visa liberalization deal they are negotiating with Armenia will not make the country a transit route for Russian citizens, the paper says, commenting on the recently observed negative dynamics in the US-Russia relations.

The paper notes that the US consular services in Russia have been facing time pressure over the recent period (in the wake of the two countries’ tense relations), often asking citizens to turn to the respective  agencies in the South Caucasus republics (Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan).

The Europeans are thought to have concerns that Russia’s somewhat permissive attitude to the signing of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Cooperation Agreement between Armenia and the EU (in November 2017) stemmed from that very logic (as they might have wished to leave at least one single route open to allow their citizens to freely travel to the EU).

The guarantees were more than reliable in the case of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, says the paper, adding that Armenia has not so far presented such guarantees to the EU.

As for the liberalization of entry permits, that’s something we should absolutely forget about even in case of signing the renewed cooperation agreement, according to the paper.