On May 20, Arpine Sargsyan, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Armenia, stated during a meeting with journalists held in the framework of the presentation of the report on the implementation of the EU Visa Liberalization Action Plan that concerns about a potential mass emigration of Armenian citizens to the European Union following possible visa liberalization are unfounded. She emphasized that there are no migration risks in the event of visa liberalization with the EU, pointing to Armenia’s positive net migration balance recorded in 2025.

Sargsyan further noted a steady decline in asylum applications submitted by Armenian citizens in the European Union, citing comparative figures over recent years: 7,795 applications in 2016, 5,130 in 2024, and 3,535 in 2025. She underlined that this downward trend reflects broader migration stability and does not indicate a tendency toward increased emigration pressure.

The Minister also emphasized the existence and effective functioning of readmission agreements, under which Armenia cooperates with partner states in addressing irregular migration cases. According to Sargsyan, in most instances Armenia responds positively to such requests and facilitates the return of its citizens when required. She additionally noted an improvement in the rate of approval of Schengen visa applications, including multiple-entry visas, describing claims to the contrary as disinformation. At the same time, she acknowledged operational challenges, stating: "That said, there have been complaints regarding long queues, and the embassies are currently working to expand their operational capacity in order to address this issue," Sargsyan added.

Providing further data, Sargsyan highlighted that 51,000 Schengen visas were issued to Armenian citizens in 2019, of which 34.8% were multiple-entry visas, while in 2024 the number rose to 86,300, with 43.5% being multiple-entry visas. She also noted that the visa refusal rate decreased slightly over the same period, from 13.2% in 2019 to 12.4% in 2024.