German Embassy in Armenia continues to issue visas for Schengen countries
"Germany has introduced temporary border controls with Austria. The aim of this measure is to limit the current influx to Germany and to return to orderly entry procedures. This is done for security measures and it is foreseen under the Schengen agreement," Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Armenia said on September 16. “Yet, it does not mean the country intends to suspend the Schengen agreement. The German Embassy in Yerevan continues to issue visas for Schengen countries. The Embassy also provides visas for Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria and Sweden,” the Embassy said. Germany introduced temporary border controls Sunday to stem the tide of thousands of refugees streaming across its frontier. "The aim of this measure is to limit the current influx to Germany and to return to orderly entry procedures," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters. "This is also urgently necessary for security reasons." He did not specify how long the border controls would remain in place or how exactly incoming migrants would be handled, saying only that Germany will continue to observe national and European rules on protecting refugees. Also, Germany's national railway, Deutsche Bahn, said it had suspended service from Austria to Germany for 12 hours at the orders of authorities. Most new arrivals have come by train. Under the Schengen rules, a member state like Germany may "exceptionally" reinstate controls at its borders with fellow members like Austria "if there is a serious threat to public policy or internal security," but usually for no more than 30 days. In such an event, the European Commission, or the executive of the 28-nation European Union, the European Parliament and other Schengen countries must be informed.
