Agreement between EU and Azerbaijan Not Limited Only to Economic Issues - Toivo Klaar

Baku / 05.06.19 / Turan: The future agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan contains a significant political part and the assertion that Baku insists on restricting the agreement to economic aspects does not correspond to reality. This was announced by the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar in an exclusive interview with Turan.

Responding to a question about the outcome of negotiations with the leadership of Azerbaijan on this issue, he said the parties are "very close" to the signing of the agreement. There are a number of uncoordinated issues relating to trade and other aspects, he noted, refusing to disclose details.

Does Baku insist on the inclusion in the agreement of the issue of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan? Klaar declined to answer this question, saying that he had to wait until the agreement was concluded. "While we are discussing the text of the agreement, I would not like to comment on its details," he said, adding that the Azerbaijani side "speaks quite clearly about its priorities in this agreement."

Why was the signing of the agreement so delayed? Klaar did not give an unequivocal answer to this question, noting that the document is rather "complicated" and it has political, economic and other parts. "With the expression of will, I see no reason why this agreement cannot be signed," he said.

How can the EU help strengthen freedom of expression and press in Azerbaijan? To this, Toivo Klaar said these issues are priorities for the EU. "We put the need to ensure these freedoms when discussing with all our partners, we hold an honest conversation and Azerbaijan is no exception," the EU Special Representative stressed. -02I-