YEREVAN, September 9. /TASS/. Armenia and the European Union have announced the official beginning of visa liberalization talks, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mger Grigoryan said after a meeting with visiting Vice President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas.

"Armenia attaches greater significance to the beginning of the visa liberalization dialogue. It understands however that it will take consistent and focused efforts. We see this process as a strategic agenda on the modernization of such spheres as migration, people’s movements and border management," he said.

Schinas, in turn, noted that the beginning of the visa liberalization dialogue means that when it is over, Armenian citizens will be able to travel freely to the European Union on short-term visits.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikola Pashinyan said at a meeting with Schinas earlier in the day that Yerevan is expanding its agenda with the European Union. "Discussions on Armenia’s potential accession to the European Union continue in the country," he said.