Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijan and the European Union have discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation as part of an EU high-ranking official’s visit to Baku.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and President of European Council Donald Tusk held a joint press conference in Baku on July 22.

President Aliyev welcomed Tusk, stating that his visit was very important in the relationship between the EU and Azerbaijan.

Noting the many years of cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan, the president said today there is a wide range of issues to discuss, such as bilateral cooperation and regional issues.

"We see good, positive development in the EU-Azerbaijan partnership," President Aliyev said.

He noted that Tusk's visit to Azerbaijan indicates the importance of Azerbaijan-EU relations, adding, "We have close political ties and we will develop them in the future."

Baku hopes for more pressure on aggressor by international community

The sides also touched upon the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which emerged in 1988 over Yerevan’s baseless territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor.

President Aliyev briefed the top EU official about the long-lasting conflict and its ongoing settlement process.

"I've informed Mr. President about the current situation at the negotiating table and the history of the conflict," said President Aliyev, adding that the conflict has been lasting for more than two decades.

He stressed that Nagorno-Karabakh along with seven other regions are internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan and have been under Armenian occupation for more than 20 years.

"The United Nations adopted four resolutions, demanding immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian troops from our territories, but they are not implemented," he said.

The president also recalled that as a result of Armenian occupation, one million Azerbaijanis became victims, IDPs, refugees, and suffered ethnic cleansing from Armenia.

The president noted that a speedy resolution of the conflict based on relevant law norms and the UN Security Council resolutions will be to the benefit of all the people in the South Caucasus.

"We hope that international community will put more pressure on the aggressor, to start the de-occupation of Azerbaijani lands," he said, adding that it will start the process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

President Aliyev noted that territorial integrity of Azerbaijan has the same value as territorial integrity of any other country.

Tusk, in turn, reiterated that the EU supports the territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

He said the status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is unsustainable and a peaceful resolution under negotiations and compromises is increasingly needed.

“It’s clear for me and for the EU that the status quo is in fact unacceptable. I was very clear also in Yerevan two days ago. What we need is of course a peaceful resolution. There’s no alternative and it’s not only my opinion,” Tusk said.

Prior to his Baku visit, Tusk visited Armenia, where he discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with relevant authorities.

Noting the need to avoid not only military actions but also radical language and aggressive rhetoric, Tusk said the situation in Ukraine is maybe the best of the worst examples of this kind of politics and the ideology of aggression.

Furthermore, he stressed that the EU supports the efforts of OSCE Minsk Group as the internationally established format for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The principles and elements of conflict settlement proposed by the presidents of Minsk Group co-chairing countries is a basis for peace, according to Tusk.

Good potential to develop economic Azerbaijani-EU cooperation

Referring to economic ties between Azerbaijan and the EU, President Aliyev expressed his satisfaction that Europe is Baku’s main trading partner.

"Almost half of our foreign trade is with the member states of the European Union," he said.

Furthermore, President Aliyev added that the EU countries are the primary investors in Azerbaijan, noting some 50 percent of investments into the country come from the European Union.

Aliyev went on to highlight the potential to develop further cooperation in various fields, one of them being the transportation sector.

"We, together with our neighbors, are now in the phase of completion of the road that connects Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, and thus connects Europe and Asia. This will be the new silk route which will increase the volumes of mutual trade between Europe and Asia," the president said.

Regarding European energy security, Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan's reserves are enough to supply Europe with natural gas for decades, adding country’s proven gas reserves are about 2.6 trillion cubic meters.

He said the Shah Deniz field, which is so far the only resource for the Southern Gas Corridor, holds more than 1.3 trillion cubic meters.

"The Southern Gas Corridor project, which was launched last September in Baku, is already in the active phase of implementation. Azerbaijan initiated this project, and is actively working with its partners, neighboring countries, investors, to implement the project on time," President Aliyev said.

He went on to add that the Southern Gas Corridor is a project that unites countries and this serves to the benefit of investors and consumers.

"This March, TANAP, which is the part of the Southern Gas Corridor, started to be constructed, and we're on time. TANAP is a project of energy security, and today energy security cannot be separated from national security," the president said, adding that TANAP is also a project of energy diversification.

The Trans Anatolian Project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field starting from the Georgian-Turkish border to the western borders of Turkey. TANAP’s initial capacity is expected to reach 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Around six billion cubic meters of this gas will be delivered to Turkey and the rest to Europe. Turkey will obtain gas in 2018, while Europe will begin receiving it early 2020 after the Trans Adriatic Pipeline is constructed. TANAP’s cost is estimated at $10-$11 billion.

President Aliyev further asserted that the Southern Gas Corridor is not only aimed at the diversification of routes but more importantly, diversification of supply sources.

"Azerbaijan, with its supply sources, infrastructure, and experience of implementing mega energy projects is playing its role here," said the president.

Azerbaijan has potential to become one of EU's major commercial partners in region

Tusk, for his part, said Azerbaijan is a reliable and strategic partner in the energy field for the EU, adding, “We want to take this partnership further.”

Noting that the European energy union aims to exclude the possibility of using gas as a threat, the EU official said the conflict in Ukraine shows that such threats are still possible.

Tusk mentioned that this is why the EU is dedicated to diversifying its supplies, stressing Azerbaijan is a main partner in this endeavor.

“Today, we agreed to stand united on developing the Southern Gas Corridor – a project which is in our common strategic interest – and to make sure it is completed on time, whatever our competitors do. For Europe, it is a question of diversifying supply. For Azerbaijan, it is a question of diversifying demand,” Tusk said.

Tusk also remarked that Azerbaijan has the potential to become one of the EU's major commercial partners in the region.

The EU, he said, is already Azerbaijan's main trade partner and one of its most important investors.

“We will expand these commercial relations further in the coming years. I recalled that good governance and rule of law are important for creating a favorable commercial and investment climate. The EU stands ready to assist here, if needed,” Tusk added.

He also expressed hope that Azerbaijan will soon finalize its negotiations to join the WTO.

“We have discussed how best to move our relationship forward, through an ambitious new bilateral agreement. We agreed to set a brisk pace for our talks toward an Agreement on Strategic Partnership,” he said.

The Eastern Partnership was also discussed during the meeting. “The EU's intention is to better reflect the individual wishes and interests of each partner as we develop this policy,” Tusk declared.

With regard to facilitate travel and direct contacts between peoples of the EU and Azerbaijan, Tusk praised the new Visa Facilitation Agreement and the Readmission Agreement, which entered into force in last autumn.

“This was an important step. Last year there were 70,000 visitors from Azerbaijan to the Schengen area. This is an increase by almost 20 percent from the year before and one third of the visas, we issue, are now long-term multiple entry visas,” he said.

Prior the press conference, President Aliyev and Tusk had a one-on-one meeting and an expanded meeting with the participation of two sides’ delegations.

--

Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz