No specific obstacles to EU-Armenia agreement – parliament official

The head of Armenia's national delegation to the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) on Friday expressed her firm belief about the signing of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the EU but hesitated to mention specific timeframes for finalizing the deal.

In an interview with Tert.am, Arpine Hovhannisyan, a deputy speaker of the National Assembly, said she sees absolutely no obstacle to the successful completion of the process initiated back in 2015.

“Both the Republic of Armenia and the EU have announced on the highest level that there is politically no obstacle. So the agreement’s signing is on the agenda now. As for the procedural aspect, it is all a matter of time,” she said, refraining from further comments.

Asked whether the agreement will pave way to the future efforts towards visa liberalization, Hovhannisyan said she has positive expectations. “I believe this agreement will be a serious step and a precondition with respect to the liberalization of visas,” she added.