Yerevan, 20 December 2011 On 19 December the Council of the European Union adopted a decision authorising the Commission to open negotiations for readmission, as well as visa facilitation agreements with Armenia. Once the Commission estimates that negotiations with Armenia are finalised, the Council will need to adopt decisions on signing and concluding the agreements by qualified majority and the European Parliament will need to give its consent. Background On 19 September 2011 the Commission proposed to open negotiations on agreements to facilitate the procedures for issuing short-stay visas as well as on the readmission of irregular migrants between the European Union and Armenia (see http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/11/1053&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en). The visa facilitation and readmission negotiations with Armenia follow the political commitment taken at the Prague Eastern Partnership Summit in May 2009 regarding the improvement of people–to people contacts. This approach was reaffirmed more recently by the Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers' conclusions in December 2010. Once negotiated, the agreements on visa facilitation and readmission can only enter into force simultaneously. EUROPEAN UNION Delegation of the European Union to Armenia Press and Information Department

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