Russian-Turkish venture to handle visa applications of Armenian citizens - German ambassador

A Russian-Turkish company has been authorized to process the visa applications of Armenian citizens travelling to Germany, the Benelux countries, Austria and Sweden.

VisaMetric is planning to launch its services on April 3, German Ambassador Matthias Kiesler told a conference in Yerevan.

He said that the company has won bids in Armenia and several other countries “which appreciated its many years' experience and quality services”.

The diplomat ruled out any personal bias or intervention, adding that the entire selection process was absolutely impartial.

Asked to comment on the concerns that Armenia has no diplomatic relations with Turkey, Mr Kiesler said he only knows the organizers initially intended to make the company's services applicable in the Caucasus region and several Asian countries.

“Personal data protection is an extremely high value for us, so we can give absolute confidentiality guarantees. The office will be headed by an Armenian representative and have only Armenian employees,” he added.

The company will charge an equivalent of US $20 for each visa application.