Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Despite some disappointing milestones in the final declaration of the fourth Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga, Baku has demonstrated its will to continue its cooperation with the European Union.

Although Azerbaijan has joined the final declaration of the summit, the country has its own comments to the document.

Azerbaijan made concessions to the EU by approving the declaration of the Riga Summit, Novruz Mammadov, the deputy head of Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, said after the event.

The Azerbaijani side addressed the summit and expressed dissatisfaction with the declaration, its spirit, the attitude toward the Azerbaijani-EU cooperation and the EU position vis a vis Azerbaijan’s problems, he stressed.

“We have serious claims against this document,” Mammadov noted. “A certain tension emerged at the summit due to these claims and all EU leaders and heads of the participating states interfered in this issue.”

Taking all these into account, Azerbaijan made concessions to the EU and agreed to approve the declaration by stating that the country will clarify its special position on the declaration, he said, noting: “This position will reflect Azerbaijan's all claims.”

Azerbaijan still suffers from the protracted conflict with another member of the program - Armenia, which has occupied Azerbaijan’s territories for more than 20 years.

Protracted conflicts pose persisting challenges to regional peace and cooperation in the Eastern Partnership, said Elmar Mammadyarov, Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Minister, at the Riga Summit.

He reminded all that the ongoing occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan by Armenia is a serious factor of instability in the region.

Mammadyarov said Armenia continues to evade from any constructive engagement that envisages the change of status-quo in the settlement of the conflict.

The establishment of peace and stability as well as good neighborly relations in the region is contingent to the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders, the minister noted.

He stressed the Armenian armed forces must withdraw from the territories which do not belong to them. "The expelled Azerbaijani population should be able to exercise their right to return to their places of origin safely and with dignity."

Speaking about the Azerbaijan-EU relations, Mammadyarov said that in Azerbaijan's case pragmatism and focus has remained at the heart of the policy towards strengthening relations with the EU.

Azerbaijan is looking forward to increase support from the EU toward the realization of the Southern Gas Corridor, which will bring new volumes from new sources, he said.

Successful cooperation in the field of energy has enormous potential to guide both Azerbaijan and the EU to upgrade bilateral contractual relations to strategic level.

The post Soviet states have chosen various formats of cooperation with the EU, and Azerbaijan is building its relations with the EU in a bilateral format, finding this format to be most convenient.

The country has good relations with mostly all EU states, and is one which guarantees regional energy security.

Meanwhile, First Deputy Speaker of Azerbaijani Parliament, Ziyafat Asgarov said the EU shows disrespect for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

The EU showed during the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga that it uses double standards with respect to Azerbaijan, he told reporters on May 22.

“Unfortunately, during the summit held within the partnership program, a mistaken opinion was expressed on the issue of territorial integrity as well,” he said.

Azerbaijan intends to send its remarks on the Riga Summit’s declaration to the EU.

The main remark on the declaration’s text is that it doesn’t say that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be resolved based on international law, in particular, in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

The country expects that Europe will remember the Azerbaijani attitude toward it and add these remarks to the final declaration.

The final document of the two-day event highlighted the EU's support for the territorial integrity, indivisibility, independence and sovereignty of all the Eastern Partnership member-states: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The summit participants emphasized the need for the earliest peaceful settlement of all conflicts in the region based on the principles and norms of international law, the final declaration of the summit read.

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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar

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