Azerbaijan and EU Discuss Next Steps in Framework of Eastern Partnership

Baku / 11.10.19 / Turan: On October 11, the EU Delegation in Baku and the Azerbaijan Center for the Study of International Relations held a joint conference on structural consultations on the future of the Eastern Partnership.

"Each state has passed various and successful ways of cooperation with the EU. This road is beneficial for both parties and this meeting is being held to discuss the general principles for further joint work," said the head of the EU mission in Baku, Kestutis Jankauskas.

Vasilis Maragos, head of the European Commission"s Directorate for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, noted the successful work of Azerbaijan and the EU in the Eastern Partnership Program.

"After 2014, we realized that the program should include the security of partners for stability and development on the European continent," said Maragos.

He noted the success of agreements on visa-free visits to citizens and trips with a facilitated visa regime of the EU for residents of three countries of the South Caucasus. Negotiations are underway to simplify the visa regime between the EU and Belarus, and Minsk has already expressed its readiness to cancel a visa regime for EU citizens.

Touching upon the priorities of the EU"s partnership with Azerbaijan, he said that students and scholars of Azerbaijan have facilitated travel and cooperation with EU scientific and educational institutions. More than 30 thousand young people from countries of the Eastern Partnership countries have benefited from the Erasmus educational program.

EU investments in the Azerbaijani economy over 10 years have created about 3 thousand new jobs. "In other countries of the Eastern Partnership, this figure is even greater," Maragos emphasized.

The EU is Azerbaijan"s largest trade partner (36.2% of Azerbaijan"s trade in 2017). Since 2016, the growth of EU-Azerbaijan trade relations has increased by 17%. A special place is energy and transport, where Azerbaijan occupies a key place.

Among the successful areas of cooperation were also named: the development of telecommunications, interaction in the legislative and judicial fields.

Since 2009, 11 thousand Azerbaijani companies have received loans from the EU in the amount of 207 million euros. Among the tasks set by the "Eastern Partnership" is also the creation of conditions for the activities of civil society, support for pluralism and independent media, gender equality and the fight against discrimination.

The agenda for the conference, the bulk of which takes place without the participation of the media, questions: In what direction should the EU-Azerbaijan cooperation develop? How to strengthen effective governance in the state, starting with a simple citizen? What should be done for the safety of people, the fight against radicalism? What are the differences between the Eastern Partnership participants and how to balance these differences? How should investment cooperation be developed? What areas do they especially need?

The proposals of the conference participants will be summarized and offered to the attention of the summit of the Eastern Partnership Program in the first half of 2020.

Among the conference speakers were Vasif Huseynov, chief adviser of the Center for the Study of International Relations, Zhalya Hajiyeva, director of the Azerbaijan Microfinance Association, Vugar Bayramov, chairman of the Center for Economic and Social Development, Sabit Bagirov, President of the Entrepreneurship Development Fund, etc. -0-