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Xinhua (10 July 2019)

The President of the European Council Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that the talks on a new EU-Azerbaijan agreement were nearing completion, according to the state-run news agency AZERTAC.

Speaking at a press conference after his meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev here, Tusk said: "In 2018 we adopted priorities for our partnership, and our negotiations on a Common Aviation Area Agreement, as well as on the new EU-Azerbaijan agreement, are close to completion."

"Our economies will profit from them, and our political, business and cultural relations will deepen," he added.

Tusk noted the importance of the Southern Gas Corridor, saying "it should bring our partnership to a higher level, directly benefit all our people, and accompany Azerbaijan's own reform processes and economic diversification."

He confirmed the EU's readiness to further deepen its cooperation with Azerbaijan, underlining also the essential importance the organization attaches to the respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Speaking of the unresolved Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Tusk said "there is no military solution but only a political settlement in accordance with international law and principles." He reaffirmed the EU's full support for the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and their focus on "a fair and lasting settlement based on the core principles of the Helsinki Final Act."

President Aliyev hailed Azerbaijan-EU cooperation as constructive, particularly in energy and transportation sectors.

Tusk arrived in Azerbaijan Tuesday for a one-day visit.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-07/10/c_138212877.htm