Negotiations on New Agreement with EU Unlimited – Mammadyarov

Baku / 30.12.19 / Turan: Azerbaijan and the European Union (EU) are linked by partnerships based on equality, mutual respect and trust. This was stated by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in an interview with local media, summing up the results of the year.

“Numerous statements by EU officials, as well as resolutions adopted by the European Parliament, express unequivocal support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and our country is considered as a reliable and important partner,” he said.

Currently, Azerbaijan has become one of the largest investors of economic projects in the region in the EU. “At the height of the European economic crisis, implementing the Southern Gas Corridor, in Greece alone, we created five thousand new jobs and invested 15 billion euros in the European economy.

In the first half of 2020, it is planned to deliver the first Azerbaijani gas to Europe under the TAP project, which plays an important role in the energy security of the EU. Our country has transformed from the EU in need of assistance in the 1990s into a state that now provides real support for the development of Europe. In a word, a completely new situation has arisen in Azerbaijan-EU relations,” Mammadyarov said.

For this reason, Mammadyarov emphasized, for the development and expansion of its relations with the EU, Azerbaijan chose a special path based on the principles of equality and mutual respect, proposing to hold negotiations on the "Agreement on Strategic Partnership", and Brussels accepted this proposal.

Since February 2017, based on a draft submitted by the Azerbaijani side, negotiations have begun with the EU on a new document. In less than 3 years, many rounds of negotiations on a large-scale project were held, and most of the document was agreed.

The parties have never set any binding deadlines for the completion of negotiations, as well as initiation and signing of a document. “For us, in negotiations, it is not quantity and time limits that are important, but quality. A non-template-based, reality-based and satisfying both sides approach is one of the key factors for achieving a positive result. The Azerbaijani side will continue to work in this direction with the new leadership of the European Commission. Azerbaijan is a supporter of a high-quality agreement, and it must certainly meet the national interests of our country,” Mammadyarov said. —06D-