Hololei: Azerbaijan is part of European family
By Aygul Salmanova
Director General of the European Commission's department for mobility and transport (DG MOVE) Henrik Hololei visited Baku on January 27-30.
The EU and Azerbaijan intend to intensify, expand and deepen cooperation in transportation, he noted at a press conference held in Baku on January 30.
He said that the sides have agreed upon the creation of an ad hoc working group that will hold dialog and discussions on the development of cooperation.
The important Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway project is finished, and the first phase of the Baku International Sea Trade Port is nearing completion, Hololei said.
He also touched upon the meetings he held during his visit, noting that he held very interesting and fruitful negotiations with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and also met with Rauf Valiyev, head of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping CJSC, with whom he discussed transport challenges and opportunities in the Caspian Sea.
“The European Commission has allocated 1 million euro as part of technical assistance for the future development of the Baku International Sea Trade Port,” Hololei has told reporters.
Hololei noted that the Baku Port occupies an important place in trade turnover between Europe and Asia, adding that this port and some international corridors crossing through Azerbaijan has turned the country into a transit country and a logistics hub.
He added that he also visited the new terminal of the Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport and the cargo terminal of the Silk Way company, which managed to enter the top 20 biggest airlines. Hololei noted that he also met with the head of the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC.
Hololei noted that he visited Azerbaijan in November 2011 and clearly sees how the country developed over past time, adding that during his last visit, the Azerbaijani government was enthusiastically carrying out a number of projects.
He said that the Azerbaijani government is interested in adopting the best norms and practices in transportation from the EU, because the EU is the main trade partner and investor of Azerbaijan.
Touching upon the aviation agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU, aiming at opening and integrating aviation markets, he noted that both sides feel progress in talks over the Common Aviation Area Agreement.
He said the parties intend to make full use of the opportunities the aviation agreement will open for them.
The agreement is the main goal of the talks that are currently underway, he noted.
The Azerbaijani side clearly indicated its position that the agreement should be mutually beneficial, and the EU supports it, Hololei added.
Being an honorary guest the first CEO Breakfast Baku, Hololei noted that Azerbaijan is part of the European family.
“Ensuring deeper connectivity with the EU is therefore extremely important for us. Only then we can unleash the full potential of all businesses and bring our people ever closer together. We are committed to doing this through a deep aviation agreement, ensuring close maritime cooperation and that Azerbaijan is part of the EU Trans-European Networks,” he said.
EU relations with Azerbaijan date back to 1991 and are based on the EU-Azerbaijan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which provides for wide-ranging cooperation in the areas of political dialogue trade, investment, economic matters, legislation and culture. Since then, the EU has gradually expanded the scope of its cooperation with Azerbaijan.
Today EU is discussing a closer relationship with Azerbaijan. The Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on November 14, 2016 to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan. The new agreement should replace the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and take account of the shared objectives and challenges the two sides face today.
The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the EU countries amounted to $5.03 billion in January-September 2017, $3.73 billion of which accounted for the export of Azerbaijani products to the EU countries, according to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee.
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