Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev has said that the country is all set to sign re-admission agreements and visa assistance to Norway and Switzerland. He further added that all the intrastate formalities were in place and that they were going to sign the documents soon.
According to the terms of the agreement, the expedited visa system with these two countries will correspond with those of the EU that came into existence this September. The new rule makes the visa available within 10 days, with two days here and there in case of emergency. Also, the cost of the application will come down to 35 euro for the locals. The number of essential documents required for certain category of population is now reduced.
These visa agreements are aimed at improving the existing relations between the citizens of Azerbaijan and EU. However, not all EU countries are covered under this agreement. Till date, 12 EU countries have signed this agreement.
Azerbaijan is not open to signing association agreements with the EU as it maintains good relations with each EU country separately. Due to a hint of a slight disagreement in some of the provisions in the association agreement Azerbaijan would like to maintain its sovereignty and independence. EU reacted to this proposal in a different way but later, saw it as the best available option.
