The solution to the problem of long queues for obtaining visas to Schengen countries will be the liberalization of Armenia's visa regime with the European Union (EU), Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Armen Ghazaryan said at a press conference Friday.

According to him, these queues are due to two circumstances: the appearance on the market of airlines that offer favorable travel conditions to Armenian citizens, and the improvement of the well-being of citizens themselves.

The fundamental solution to the problem that has arisen will be the liberalization of the visa regime, Ghazaryan added, and said that the respective intensive work continues.

Ghazaryan recalled that the first progress report was received in May, in which Armenia's actions are assessed quite positively and 53 recommendations are presented.

“We have divided them into specific steps and developed 117 actions, about half of which have already been implemented,” Ghazaryan said, specifying that the first phase concerns legislation and policy development. The first phase is scheduled to be completed early next year.

In general, there are four blocks of issues in the process, which relate to bringing Armenia’s documents into line with EU requirements, migration and border management, public security, as well as human rights and freedoms.

Two more visits to Armenia from the EU are planned before the end of the year.

As for the migration risks associated with visa liberalization, it is planned to curb such negative trends through readmission agreements and increasing the appeal of Armenia itself.

In the second part, trends are already there: in the first half of the year, the number of Armenian citizens entering Armenia exceeded the number of those leaving the country by almost two thousand.