Armenia is in the initial stage of negotiations for a new agreement on EU technical assistance to state migration policy, Deputy Head of Cooperation Section at the EU Delegation to Armenia Jose Navarro told Armenia News – NEWS.am.

The agreement is likely to be signed with the International Center for Migration Policy Development, which currently unites 14 member states in Europe.

EU assistance will be split between migration and border management. In both areas, Armenia has ongoing projects with European assistance.

“We have 3 active projects in migration, and a large program on upgrading 3 checkpoints on Georgian border”, Navarro reminded.

The assistance to migrants and returnees will also be provided, he added. According to envoy, the project will allow to achieve progress in EU-Armenia visa liberalization talk.

The number of beneficiaries of the project and its exact goals have not yet been identified and will be finalized between fall 2015 and spring 2016, the same time range when signing of the agreement is expected.

Among the EU states, the government of the Netherlands agreed in July 2014 on a project with Armenia to assist illegal migrant returnees. The first phase of the project is designed for 100 Armenian citizens, each of them eligible for target assistance of up to 1000 euro, to be spent on settling purposes (professional training, opening a small business, purchasing livestock etc).