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Trend 30 January 2017

By Seba Aghayeva

The European Union (EU) intends to expand the dialogue and cooperation with Azerbaijan, said Christian Danielsson, director general for neighbourhood and enlargement negotiations at the European Commission, during a meeting with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

The sides will soon start negotiating on the draft agreement on strategic partnership between the EU and Azerbaijan, he noted.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the current state of the relations and prospects of cooperation, exchanged views on Azerbaijan’s participation in the EU Eastern Partnership program and noted the significance of mutually beneficial cooperation in various spheres.

Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan welcomes the issuance of a mandate by the Council of the EU to start negotiations on the agreement on strategic partnership and expressed confidence that this decision will have a positive impact on the Azerbaijan-EU cooperation.

The European Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan in November 2016.

The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today.

The agreement will follow the principles endorsed in the 2015 review of the European Neighborhood Policy and offer a renewed basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan.