Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 29
By Sabina Ahmadova - Trend:
The European Union hopes that all the remaining obstacles can be removed soon so that the agreement can enter into force by the target date, end of 2014, Toralf Pilz, Acting Head of the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan told Trend.
Pilz said that he welcomes this new opportunity opened to the Azerbaijani and EU citizens.
"We very much hope that the spirit of the facilitation agreement will lead to more people-to-people contacts, notably more academic and economic exchange and that also the European citizens will make use of the broadened opportunities to travel to Azerbaijan," Pilz said.
Azerbaijan and the European Union signed a visa facilitation agreement within the third Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius on Nov.29.
The document was signed by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, European Commissioner Stefan Fule and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius.
Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev told Trend that after the signing of the agreement, it will be ratified by the Milli Mejlis (parliament) of Azerbaijan and in the European Parliament.
In addition, it is necessary to sign bilateral agreements with the countries that enter the Schengen Area, but are not EU members (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein).
According to the deputy minister, the agreement will cover a sufficiently broad list of people. They are first of all citizens who go abroad for education and business.