Brussels, 23/11/2007 (Agence Europe) - Following the entry into force of agreements on readmission and visa facilitation between the EU and Russia, the two parties agreed on Friday 23 November to begin technical consultations before the end of 2007 with a view to creating a “visa-free area”. This was announced to the press by the head of the Russian presidential administration, Viktor Ivanov, following the ministerial JHA troika held in Brussels on 22-23 November. “We have agreed to launch consultations at expert level to prepare for transition to visa-free arrangements. Visas will not be done away with immediately, but we have decided to focus our discussions on this subject around three main points”, he said. According to the advisor to President Vladimir Putin, these three points are: - strengthening the security of identification documents, including using biometric techniques; - illegal migration; - improving security in general. “We have agreed that the experts will hold a first round of consultations before the end of this year, with a view to preparing proposals to be submitted to the new EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council on JHA which will take place in the first half of 2008”, Mr Ivanov added. He also welcomed the fact that “trust between Brussels and Moscow has increased over the last six months” and that judicial cooperation with the EU has made “good progress”. The Portuguese presidency and Commissioner Franco Frattini also stressed that cooperation with Moscow was “indispensable” in all key areas: managing joint borders, fighting illegal immigration, trafficking of drugs and human beings, organised crime, and terrorism. (H.B.)