Aliyev suggests the EU to modernize Azerbaijan

 The EU and Azerbaijan agreed to accelerate the signing of a partnership agreement on strategic modernization, ITAR-TASS reported.

"At the meeting with President Ilham Aliyev, we took important decisions. One of them is to speed up work on a new agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan. This is a partnership agreement in strategic modernization, which is very important for Azerbaijan and the EU,"- reporters were told  by the European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso. He expressed a hope that the document will be signed soon in Brussels.

Barroso  noted  that the EU and Azerbaijan successfully cooperate in the energy sector. "Three years ago we started working on a project of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is important not only from a political point of view, but also in terms of energy security,"  he said. At the same time, Barroso said, cooperation is not limited to energy. "We are the largest trade partner of Azerbaijan - 42% of the foreign trade turnover of the country to the EU, and cooperation with Azerbaijan covers not only energy, but also other areas,"  said Barroso. According to him, all the European programs are open to Azerbaijan, which is a result of the agreements reached. "This refers to projects in all areas, including education, health care,"  he stressed.

The Head of the European Commission is convinced that there are many areas in which the parties can successfully interact. Barroso said that "Azerbaijan is playing a very constructive role in the political dialogue at the global level."

In turn, Aliyev said that relations with the European Union are a priority for Azerbaijan. "I am very pleased that these relations are developing successfully. Thanks to your support, we have made rapid progress. "

Aliyev expressed confidence that after the visit of the European Commission, this cooperation will be further expanded to cover more areas. "Azerbaijan expects maximum rapprochement with the EU. This question is for us the strategic importance, and these relations have a great potential, "he said.

Referring to the actual theme of human rights in Azerbaijan, Aliyev said that the provision of fundamental freedoms is a priority for the government. "Today we discussed the situation  with the implementation of political reforms and democratization process. Provision of fundamental freedoms is a priority for our government. We associate the process of modernization of the country with the modernization of all spheres of life. "

Then the president began to tell the representatives of the European Union, surprised by his speech, about ensuring fundamental freedoms, freedom of assembly, speech and the Internet.