New geopolitical challenges to shape EU’s future relations with Azerbaijan: FM

Baku hopes a new strategic partnership agreement with the EU will upgrade the bilateral ties to qualitatively new level of strategic partnership and provide a better platform for the future of the EU-Azerbaijan cooperation.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov addressing the meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of V4 and Eastern Partnership in Prague pointed out that the growing number of its strategic partners among the EU member states inspires Baku to advance dialogue with the EU on the same premises.

Azerbaijan has become a country of direct priority to the EU’s strategy in its wider neighborhood since the last enlargement of the European Union in 2007. Although over the past year, the bilateral relations between the two sides saw tense period, still Azerbaijan affects Europe’s interests, mainly in a regional energy strategy.

Baku, relying on its economic and diplomatic policy, seeks a strategic partnership with the EU and has already introduced a draft EU-Azerbaijan Strategic Partnership Agreement in Riga Eastern Partnership Summit.Joint consultations on this agreement have been recently finalized.

The cooperation of Azerbaijan with the European Union is very unique due to the already existing relations and good economic opportunities.

The EU and Azerbaijan could cover the areas where they have overlapping interests, particularly energy trade. In geostrategic terms, Azerbaijan is set to see its importance due to the perspective role to act as a bridge between Europe and Asia.

Mammadyarov further hailed the success of cooperation with V4 Group- Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, adding that Azerbaijan continues to develop a regular high-level political dialogue on issues of common interest.

“V4 countries are our important partners also in the EU context and we are convinced that our Visegrad partners will promote the adoption of negotiating mandate by the EU Foreign Affairs Council,” Mammadyarov added.

Mammadyarov voiced belief that new geopolitical developments and challenges in the EU neighborhood will also shape EU’s future relations with Azerbaijan. “We hope that the revised ENP will fit into differentiated aspirations of partner countries in their relations with the EU. Azerbaijan is ready to hold bilateral consultations with the EU with a view of exploring its engagement in potential areas of cooperation and joint thematic frameworks foreseen by revised ENP,” said the top diplomat.

While commenting on doubts that the Eastern Partnership is exhausted, Mammadyarov voiced belief that the ability of the Eastern Partnership to deliver in multilateral track assumes ever greater importance in determining the overall efficiency of the program.

In this regard, huge trans-regional projects initiated and realized by Azerbaijan pledge promising effect on revitalization of Eastern Partnership multilateral track, according to Mammadyarov.

Citing the Southern Gas Corridor as an example, the minister recalled that this unique project involves diverse stakeholders from Eastern Partnership region as well as EU member states and candidate countries.

The European Union has shown through the years the great interest in establishing further negotiations with energy-rich Azerbaijan to ensure its energy security.The Southern Gas Corridor project, which will start in Azerbaijan and run through Georgia and Turkey, later in June 2016 through Greece onward other EU countries, guarantees the energy supply to the EU. Obviously, Azerbaijan is and will remain a committed partner to meet joint strategic interests in the field of energy security.

Along with contributing the multilateral cooperation in trans-regional oil and gas infrastructure projects, Azerbaijan also pushes hard to revive the ancient Silk Road.

This railroad will join the ranks of the region’ s most critical infrastructures once China’ s Silk Road Economic Belt concept comes to the full reality. This already provides a greater room for enhancing transport cooperation with the EU. Azerbaijan is also working on resumption of negotiations on Common Aviation Agreement with the EU, Mammadyarov noted.

Azerbaijan with its vibrant multicultural society can also offer Europe its experience for tackling issues of peaceful coexistence.

“Growing threats as radicalization, extremism and terrorism challenge stability and security of Europe and its partners. These threats do not only target the lives of people but also core universal values that ensure peaceful coexistence. Multiculturalism and diversity should be promoted widely in order to overcome modern common challenges,” the minister said emphasizing that Azerbaijan is ready to share its experience in this regard.

Debating on security challenges in the EU neighborhood, Mammadyarov spoke about the ongoing military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan.

The recent provocative acts by Armenian armed forces in this April along the frontline have caused un- precedented escalation in the history of conflict. Armenia has continuously disregarded international calls on moving beyond “statusquo” in the resolution of the conflict.

"Azerbaijan is interested in a negotiated settlement of the conflict. Its roadmap to peace and stability is clear and based on international law," Mammadyarov said.

"Azerbaijan will not compromise its territorial integrity as it is done by V4 and other five Eastern Partnership countries. Armenian armed forces must unconditionally withdraw from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan and ensure safe return of internally displaced persons with dignity to their places of origin, as it’s required by relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” he added.

Armenia has occupied 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territory in the early 1990s. As an outcome of the war, more than one million of people have been subjected to the ethnic cleansing byArmenia.The occupation of the territory of the sovereign state with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years which resulted in the renewal of hostilities in early April.

The renewed hostilities, which are regarded as the worst since the ceasefire deal signed in 1994, ended on April 5. Although both sides agreed to cease the operations on the frontline, Armenia still continues its provocations on the frontline and targets Azerbaijani civilians living in the villages adjacent to the frontline zone.