Azerbaijan, EU hail mutual understanding on new partnership agreement
President Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia on April 19. The head of state recalled with pleasure his visit to Belgium, saying fruitful meetings and discussions were held as part of this visit.
He noted that the foundation of a new agreement between Azerbaijan and the European Union was laid during the visit, describing the document as an important step in the development of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The first meeting on a new agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan was held in Brussels on February 7, 2017.
The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better consider the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today.
Following the principles endorsed in the 2015 review of the European Neighborhood Policy, it will offer a renewed basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan.
President Aliyev expressed his hope that the work in this area will be actively continued and completed on time.
Hailing mutual understanding on the agreement, the President noted that the completion of the work will depend on the development of the negotiation process.
Ilham Aliyev praised the establishment of a long-term good partnership between Azerbaijan and the EU. He noted that the key areas of cooperation have already been determined, hailing the experience of the signing of agreements and memorandums with a number of EU countries.
They also exchanged views on the Armenia-Azerbaijan NagornoKarabakh conflict, the situation on the contact line, and the current state and prospects of the negotiations on the settlement of the dispute.
Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan are under the control of the Armenian military and separatists since a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan ended in 1994. Negotiations lasting for over 20 years have brought little progress in resolving the conflict, though a fragile truce has been in place.